Atomic Bomb Use essays

Atomic Bomb Use essays In 1945, the world was changed forever by the first use of the atomic bomb against civilians. This may have been the single most defining event in the twentieth century. Now, the world really could be potentially destroyed, and one false move by government officials could mean the end. This new brand of warfare was first used by the United States against the Japanese in an effort to end the war between the two nations. Yet was the use of this bomb really necessary? This question alone raises several other questions, and this essay will deal with a few specific ones, using Gar Alperovitzs novel The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb as a source. First, why did the United States drop the atomic bomb on the residents of two Japanese cities? According to proponents of the bomb, the reason was to end the war against the Japanese. However, Japan was already in deep trouble as it was. The country was running out of agricultural and industrial power by 1945, and its leaders were starting to accept the reality that they would not be able to win the war. On page 334, Aplerovitz notes that Henry H. Arnold stated in his memoirs that it always appeared to us, atomic bomb or no atomic bomb, the Japanese were already on the verge of collapse. One exception to Japanese surrender was that they wanted to keep their form of government, but the fact that the United States was not clear on the terms of surrender delayed the whole process. All these factors seem to show that Japan would probably have surrendered without the use of the bomb. In fact, several advisors to Truman have said that a mere demonstration of the bomb would probably have done the trick. L. Louis Strauss, the soon to be president of the Atomic Energy Commission, proposed that, the weapon should be demonstrated over some area accessible to the Japanese observers, where its effects would be dramatic (Alperovitz, pg. 332). Yet Truman still decid...

Free Essays on Powering Veitnam

The Vietnam War The Vietnam War is truly one of the most unique wars ever fought by the Unites States of by any country. It was never officially declared a war (Knowll, 3). It had no official beginning nor an official end. It was fought over 10,000 miles away in a virtually unknown country. The enemy and the allies looked exactly the alike, and may by day be a friend but by night become an enemy (Aaseng 113). It matched the tried and true tactics of World War Two against a hide, run, and shoot technique known as "Guerrilla Warfare." It matched some of the best trained soldiers in the world against largely an untrained militia of untrained farmers. The United States’ soldiers had at least a meal to look forward to unlike the Communist Vietnamese soldiers who considered a fine cuisine to be cold rice and, if lucky, rat meat. The Vietnam War matched the most technically advanced country with one of the least advanced, and the lesser advanced not only beat but humiliated the stron gest military in the world (Aaseng, 111). When the war was finally showing signs of end, the Vietnamese returned to a newly unified communist country while the United Stated soldiers returned to be called "baby killers", and were often spat upon. With the complexities of war already long overdrawn because of the length of the war it is no wonder the returning solders often left home confused and returned home insane. Through an examination of the Vietnam War, in particular an event know as the My Lai Massacre, and the people involved with both, it can be proven that when the threshold for violence of a person is met or exceeded, the resulting psychological scarring becomes the most prominent reason for war being hell. Although officially, the Vietnam Conflict had neither a beginning nor an end, for the purpose of this paper it can be best examined through the decade the United States was involved: February 6, 1965 - August 30, 1975. During World War Two the Frenc... Free Essays on Powering Veitnam Free Essays on Powering Veitnam The Vietnam War The Vietnam War is truly one of the most unique wars ever fought by the Unites States of by any country. It was never officially declared a war (Knowll, 3). It had no official beginning nor an official end. It was fought over 10,000 miles away in a virtually unknown country. The enemy and the allies looked exactly the alike, and may by day be a friend but by night become an enemy (Aaseng 113). It matched the tried and true tactics of World War Two against a hide, run, and shoot technique known as "Guerrilla Warfare." It matched some of the best trained soldiers in the world against largely an untrained militia of untrained farmers. The United States’ soldiers had at least a meal to look forward to unlike the Communist Vietnamese soldiers who considered a fine cuisine to be cold rice and, if lucky, rat meat. The Vietnam War matched the most technically advanced country with one of the least advanced, and the lesser advanced not only beat but humiliated the stron gest military in the world (Aaseng, 111). When the war was finally showing signs of end, the Vietnamese returned to a newly unified communist country while the United Stated soldiers returned to be called "baby killers", and were often spat upon. With the complexities of war already long overdrawn because of the length of the war it is no wonder the returning solders often left home confused and returned home insane. Through an examination of the Vietnam War, in particular an event know as the My Lai Massacre, and the people involved with both, it can be proven that when the threshold for violence of a person is met or exceeded, the resulting psychological scarring becomes the most prominent reason for war being hell. Although officially, the Vietnam Conflict had neither a beginning nor an end, for the purpose of this paper it can be best examined through the decade the United States was involved: February 6, 1965 - August 30, 1975. During World War Two the Frenc...