70,000 lives were ended in a matter of seconds. The United States had dropped the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Today many argue over whether or not we should have taken drastic measures. Was it necessary that we dropped such a powerful weapon? Yes, it was. First, we must look at what was going on at the time the decision was made. The U.S had been fighting a massive war in 1941. Morale was most likely low, and so were the supplies. However, each side continued to fight and both were determined to win. The best thing that could have happened would have been to bring the war to a quick end, with a low number of deaths.(Defeat 1).
We now know that the allies were aware by May 1945 that the Japanese were attempting to make contact in order to negotiate a surrender and that Japan was being overcome by conventional might. (Defeat 2).
What could have happened if we did not use the A-Bomb? The most obvious thing is that the war would have continued. Imagine the numbers of casualties that could have occurred if we went to the mainland of Japan. Our forces also could not fight off the Japanese military, but they would have to protect themselves against the Japanese civilians of Japan as well. It was a fact that the Japanese government had been equipping the civilians with any kind of weapon that they could get their hands on. Just as long as they continued to fight the enemy.
The government could not afford to give every civilian a weapon. To at least give them something, the government gave them spears. Many soldiers died from a surprise spear attack. They had from spears to knives and anything that would protect them. U.S. naval blockades are one of the major reasons that Japan was so low on supplies.
.
Admiral William Leahy, Chief of Staff to President Roosevelt and President Truman, wrote "By the Beginning of September 1944, Japan was almost completely defeated through a practically complete sea and air blockade.
