208 replies to this topic

[Sun Wukong]

We all know what happen in this event. The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the surrendering of Germany and Italy in Europe. It claimed over 100,000 lives. After this event, Japan surrendered and World War II ended.

Do you think it was the best way to end the war? or should the United States have done something else? And state your reasons.

[janz]

this is perhaps the oldest topic around many forums.


many sides to consider:
1) it was meant to save American lives.
2) it was meant to scare Soviet Union.
3) you can mix in a little bit of vengeance.

so, your answer is depending on your view.

just one interesting thought, why didn't americans drop the bomb on some offshore island? it was meant to demonstrate american military might anyway.

[Sun Wukong]

just one interesting thought, why didn't americans drop the bomb on some offshore island? it was meant to demonstrate american military might anyway.

Before the attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States did however raided Tokyo. It was kind of sense to show off the United States' military might. Many Americans felt avenged from Pearl Harbor after this attack.

[Gubook Janggoon]

American viewpoint= Yes, it spared many lives which may have been lost in a amphibious invasion of Japan.

Human rights+Liberal standpoint= It's a horrid horrid event which unecessarily killed many Japanese civillians.

[Jiang Qin]

It was really not necessary to hit them like that. Many innocent lives were lost, but for the American's, they seemed to have the opinion that the Japanese deserved it. Many Chinese too felt like that at the time.

But to think again properly, it was really not worth it. Killings oh killings? When are you going to stop if the killings continues?

[Sephodwyrm]

The atomic bomb was necessary to save American AND Japanese lives, and also that of the civilians of occupied territories and POWs.

Please enlighten yourself on the Japanese preparations for an amphibious landing and the fervor that the Imperialists were trying to stir up in Japan. There were also threats to retaliate against the civilians of the occupied territories and POWs if the home islands were invaded.

[lobster]

The rape of Nanjing or any Chinese people was not committed by USA so there would be no sympathy (similar to nuke victims).

[caocao74]

Human rights+Liberal standpoint=  It's a horrid horrid event which unecessarily killed many Japanese civillians.

....and an unfortunately large number of Koreans in Hiroshima.

[lobster]

....and an unfortunately large number of Koreans in Hiroshima.

There is probably a high number of Korean/Chinese/etc slaves there....

[caocao74]

There is probably a high number of Korean/Chinese/etc slaves there....

Unfortunately so..

[Tyler]

Dropping the bomb killed many but if the war continued many more would die on both sides.

[Tibet Libre]

The American claim that the A-bomb had saved many lives as it spared both sides of an military invasion of Japan's mainland remains one of the most ingenious propaganda twists of the 20th century.

Someone in the American military came up number of estimated 1.000.000 million casualities alone on the American side and soon everybody cited this number as gospel - to this day it is not clear whio floated first the number or on which basis the estimates were calculated - but it did stick with people and helped justify the dropping.

I say the American A-bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki were one of the biggest atrocities of the 20th century because out they were unnecessary:

1. Why not dropping the A-Bomb on a minor town, a remote military base or any other area where three criterias would have been fulfilled, that is

1.1 minimal casualities among people
1.2 maximal damage on hard structures like buildings etc.
1.3 sufficient knowledge that the dropping and its effects would have communicated to the Tokyo governement to make them realize that with such a weapon in the hands of their opponents the war was over.


2. Even if you don't subsribe to 1. the dropping of the A-Bomb on Nagasaki must be considered a tremendous war crime as the Hiroshima bomb was already dropped showing its immense destructive potential. Japan was already ready to surrender, it took only some time to let the moderate forces get the upperhand over the fanatic faction.

This was like kicking a defenseless man already down on the ground with another blow yelling "Do you surrender?! Do you surrender?!"

The dropping of the bombs were worthy of a Stalin, Mao or Hitler but not of the oldest modern democracy. A blot on American history.

[adoo]

...the most ingenious propaganda twists of the 20th century....

that'd be the propaganda spewed by the Japanese Gov't that

Japan was the victim of the war that it had started