The Utilisation Of Nuclear Weapons On The Japanese Cities Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki

1580 WordsAug 3, 20167 Pages
The utilisation of nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a hotly debated topic amongst historians. With the consent of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) as outlined in the Quebec agreement, the United States of America dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, during the final stage of World War II. These two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 men, women and children are considered a triumph amongst many of the patriotic as it is said to have put a stop to World War ll as quickly and promptly as possible, preventing many more months of violent warfare. While for most people this is seen as a tragedy and a spectacle of death and…show more content…
In most schools we are taught that the Japanese would never have surrendered without the use of the atomic bomb because of their culture’s insular mindset and their honour bound approach to war. Japan had already been defeated in the sense that the fortunes of war had turned against her. At that time Japan 's Supreme Council was hoping to find a way to surrender on its own terms by asking the then neutral Soviet Union to help mediate a resolution. Ward Wilson, a Senior Fellow and Director of the Rethinking Nuclear Weapons Project, that focuses on nuclear disarmament, believes that “the turning point was the Soviet Union’s sudden declaration of war and preparations to invade Japan’s north. With the U.S. and the Soviet Union both invading from different directions, there was no longer hope for any compromise.” ( This was beneficial to the Soviet Union in order to gain territory. It is argued that the USA was unaware of plans to surrender but America had already intercepted communications from Japan where Japan had asked the Russians to mediate a solution. At this time in America communism was just being seen as a future threat to national security. President Truman needed a way to end the war and intimidate the Soviet Union. The nuclear bombing was a geopolitical intimidation tactic to secure America as the winner at the
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