Image from: http://www.nation.com.pk/international/16-Apr-2013/iran-does-not-need-atomic-bomb-nejad
How should we remember the Bomb?
Claim: The atomic bomb should be remembered as the only way to end World War 2 earlier than expected and also as a way to prevent new wars.
Evidence: In the Document about the Potsdam conference, it states that "...Truman was informed of the successful test of the bomb in New Mexico." Also at the Potsdam conference, Truman decided to tell Stalin about the Atomic Bomb. Then, they made the terms of unconditional surrender for Japan. Then, they even altered these terms. Also, if not for the bomb, then the world war would have gone on longer. According to Document C: Stopping Russia, Russia "might be more manageable" and "a demonstration of the bomb might impress Russia." The bomb was the first of it's kind and was very deadly.
Reasoning: When Truman was told about the success of the atomic bomb testing, he knew he would have to use it. He just had to decide how. He discussed with Churchill on whether or not to tell Stalin, and in the end, he did. They had to warn Japan, due to how deadly the bomb was predicted to be. They offered Japan unconditional surrender, for the chance that maybe it would surrender without use of the bomb. It didn't. The US thought it was because Japan didn't want their leader to die, so the Allies gave them a way out, by saying they only had to surrender their armed troops. Japan didn't, so there was no other way but to use the bomb. Japan wasn't going to surrender anytime soon. The bomb was predicted to shorten the war by at least 6 months. The bomb would also show the rest of the world how much power the US has and what it can create. It would hopefully scare Russia to stay on America's good side. This kind of power would also scare other countries so they wouldn't start another world war because they could just as easily get a bomb dropped on them.
Evidence: In the Document about the Potsdam conference, it states that "...Truman was informed of the successful test of the bomb in New Mexico." Also at the Potsdam conference, Truman decided to tell Stalin about the Atomic Bomb. Then, they made the terms of unconditional surrender for Japan. Then, they even altered these terms. Also, if not for the bomb, then the world war would have gone on longer. According to Document C: Stopping Russia, Russia "might be more manageable" and "a demonstration of the bomb might impress Russia." The bomb was the first of it's kind and was very deadly.
Reasoning: When Truman was told about the success of the atomic bomb testing, he knew he would have to use it. He just had to decide how. He discussed with Churchill on whether or not to tell Stalin, and in the end, he did. They had to warn Japan, due to how deadly the bomb was predicted to be. They offered Japan unconditional surrender, for the chance that maybe it would surrender without use of the bomb. It didn't. The US thought it was because Japan didn't want their leader to die, so the Allies gave them a way out, by saying they only had to surrender their armed troops. Japan didn't, so there was no other way but to use the bomb. Japan wasn't going to surrender anytime soon. The bomb was predicted to shorten the war by at least 6 months. The bomb would also show the rest of the world how much power the US has and what it can create. It would hopefully scare Russia to stay on America's good side. This kind of power would also scare other countries so they wouldn't start another world war because they could just as easily get a bomb dropped on them.
Image from: http://wd4eui.com/1945_Newspaper.html
Image from: http://www.worldwar2-memoires.com/ww2-end-of-world-war-2-in-europe