Pro’s and Cons of Dropping
the Atomic bomb on
Hiroshima
WWII was a brutal war that targeted many more
civilians than WWI
For example:
-More than 6 million Jews were killed in Europe
-Chinese civilians were targeted by Japan during
invasions.
-The German’s targeted civilians in London and USSR.
-Allies and America targeted Japanese civilians in Tokyo,
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima
August 6,1945 killing approximately 140,000
civilians.
Pro’s
-Japan was invading many countries and
needed to be stopped.
-Japan showed no sign that they would stop
even after they lost 100,000 people in Tokyo
Pro’s
kamikaze missions and mass suicides
convinced America that an invasion of
Japan would be very brutal and would result
in many deaths.
-America estimated up to 1 million allied
deaths in an invasion of Japan.
Pros:
-Harry Truman thought dropping the atom
bomb would devastate Japan enough to quickly
end the war and avoid American and Allied
deaths.
- He also felt it would show the world the power
of the nuclear weapon and keep other countries
from starting wars.
-By dropping the bomb when he did, he also
felt it would keep the USSR from trying to
occupy Japan.
Con’s
-Many people feel Japan actually was close
to surrendering.
-They would have surrendered if the
Potsdam Declaration had allowed for
“conditional surrender”
-All Japan wanted to do is protect their
emperor.
Con’s
-If the Atomic bomb was dropped, it should
not have been dropped on Hiroshima.
-Hiroshima was full of civilians and had no
military significance.
-The recommendation from the committee
had been to target a war plant in a less
populated area.
Cons:
-The bomb had not been properly tested and
American seriously underestimated its
power.
-Some people believe the bomb was
dropped just to justify the $2 billion spent
on creating it.
Summary
If the Atomic bomb had never been dropped,
its hard to guess what would have
happened. Either way, many innocent
people would have died.