| Atom Bomb Essay, Research Paper
The United States’ decision to drop the atomic bomb was intended to intimidate and keep the Soviet Union from invading Japan, but was also to end the war. Even without the atomic bomb, the Japanese empire would have collapsed. The United States, however, did not want to let the Soviet Union enter the war and invade Japan in order to spread communism. Before the atomic bomb, the US had already developed plans for the invasion of Japan. Therefore, there is great speculation that the bomb was dropped for diplomatic reasons than for military reasons.
After crippling the Japanese with American high explosives, incendiary bombs, and raids. The Japanese empire was crumbling. atomic bomb or no atomic bomb, the Japanese were on the verge of collapse. The American island-hopping had drained Japan of much of its natural resources, preventing them from carrying the war on much longer. When the question of whether the bomb should be dropped arose, people knew that the bomb was not necessary for a victory. The American Government knew, that Japan was essentially defeated and that we could win the war in another six months.
American military had an invasion plan for Japan ready even before the atomic bomb was tested. The strategic plans of our armed forces for the defeat of Japan, as they stood in July, had been prepared without reliance upon the atomic bomb, which had not yet been tested in New Mexico. The Americans were planning an intensified sea and air blockade with intensified air bombing. The down side of the invasion meant serious casualties.
Many people had disapproved of the Soviet Union entering the war. They had feared communism because it was against their philosophies. Eisenhower had felt that no power on earth could keep the Red Army out of that war unless victory came before they could get in. Even the nuclear physicist Leo Szilard s had said that At that time Mr. Byrnes was much concerned about the spreading of Russian influence in Europe Also Winston Churchill had even said It is quite clear that the United States do not at the present time desire Russian participation in the war against Japan. Nobody had wanted the Soviet Union to join the war because it was almost over, but the Russians were desperate to invade Japan.
The first atomic bomb was dropped in August 6, 1945 and the second one was dropped in August 9, 1945. The Soviet Union had declared war against Japan in August 8, 1945 as a desperate act to spread communism. Because they had entered the war before the second bomb was dropped, they had invaded the northern area of islands called Karafuto. The US had not wanted Japan to end up like Korea: divided into communist north and a democratic south. The US did not want communism to spread because they strongly opposed it and they did not want a join occupation of Japan with the Soviet Union like in Germany. The only resolution was to end the war quickly by dropping the bomb.
World War II, after four years of fighting around the world, came to a sudden end with two events: dropping of the atomic bombs first on Hiroshima and then on Nagasaki. The dropping of the deadliest weapon ever known to mankind was to end the war without many casualties, the dropping itself has not gone without debate. It is obvious that the Atomic bomb was dropped more for a diplomatic reason to contain communism than the military reason of ending the war.
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