Great. This is just asking for trouble... Keep in mind I'm not asking whether the U.S. was a hero or villain, I'm asking whether it was justified or not. Now before you right something out of emotion, keep these things in mind: - The building of the atomic bomb was a response to the discovery that Germany was also developing nuclear weapons. The U.S. probably would've never built one if Albert Einstein didn't tell the U.S. government of Hitler's plan to develop and use. - For those who've never heard of The -blam!- of Nanking, you might want to look it up. The Imperial Japanese Army committed atrocious acts against the people of Nanking, China during a 6 week period being in December of 1937. An estimation of civilians who were killed is in the 200-300 thousands. Most women of most ages were -blam!-, not only by Japanese soldiers, but by sons, brothers, and fathers that were forced to do it by the Japanese. Men, women, and children of all ages were also slaughtered in most brutal of ways. Many suffered torture(too many types to name) before finally being killed. Most Japanese soldiers actually smiled and laughed while committing these atrocities. - Just like Germany, Japan was incredibly racist. They believed that they were the pure Asian race and saw people of non-Japanese descent as inferior (refer to The -blam!- of Nanking). Not only that, but they believed it was them who should own the Pacific, which is part of the reason why they bombed Pearl Harbor on December of 1941. At that point, America needed to act because of the attack on its own turf. - With the fall of the Axis Powers in Europe, the full attention was now turned to the Pacific. Unfortunately, FDR died of a stroke in April of 1945, while the atomic bomb was still in development. Harry Truman took office and was not aware of the Manhattan Project until he entered office. - The Japanese mentality of fighting was that of something never seen before. No surrender, fight until the very end, and suicide if all else fails. These guys were extreme radicals. They fought with an extreme passion for their country and Emperor. - Truman was a devout Christian. He had to make one of the hardest decisions a person could make. But here is some more background on the situation. • The scientists who developed the bomb had different views from one another. Some believed it needed to be dropped, while others thought a monster would become of this. Here is a famous quote by Einstein (a lifelong pacifist) regarding this; "Organized power can be opposed only by organized power. Much as I regret this, there is no other way." • Many generals of the U.S. also debated this. General Eisenhower believed it shouldn't be dropped because it would tarnish America's reputation. General Marshall believed it needed to be dropped because the only way to defeat the Japanese was with an unconditional surrender. When it came down to it, a peace agreement wasn't an option. • There was a plan to drop an atomic bomb near Japan so everyone in Japan could see it. However, this could not be done because if the Japanese knew they had atomic bombs and figured out what cities America would drop them on, then Japan would've moved their operations, factories, and people to different locations while moving in American POWs to be bombed instead. It needed to be a surprise. • There was an estimation of the cost of invading Japan. Now, cost in this instance means lives of human beings, not just money. Hundreds of thousands of lives were thought to be lossed, civilian and soldier alike. America also knew that Japan would prolong the war as long as possible, depleting them of money, resources, and lives. Dropping the atomic bomb was thought to bring a swift surrender, even though it would cost the lives of thousands. The estimation of the dropping of the bombs was in between 30 to 60 thousand. This wasn't the case, but no one could actually knew what the damage would've been. So, it seemed more sensible to drop the bombs. • Put yourself in Truman's shoes for a minute. He was a very humble and kind man. Now, he has to make a decision that no matter what would effect the course of humanity. He knows soldiers, sons and fathers, were still fighting in the Pacific. How do you look someone in the eyes when his or her son or father has been killed knowing you had the technology to end it several months or years earlier? At that point, it wasn't about how many lives would be lost, it was either America or Japan. Though this was the most unethical option, it was the only option... - Hiroshima and Nagasaki, though not direct military bases, were strategic for attack. The factories that created most of Japan's weaponry and munitions were located in those citites, making them vital target locations. Unfortunately, civilians also live in cities. American aircraft actually dropped flyers describing the atomic bomb a day before the bombing as a type of warning. Hiroshima, bombed on August 6th of 1945, witnessed the most destructive weapon mankind has ever built. The Japanese were hesitant to surrender. The Emperor was a weak leader, under control of General Tojo. The Japanese military and people were something new during this time. The only way to defeat this type of mentality of fighting to the very end, killing you self not to be taken by the enemy, fighting with an extreme passion, and never surrender in the eyes of many was to kill as many as possible. 3 days later, Nagasaki was bombed. - The Emperor couldn't stand to see his people suffer and die like this. He urged for a surrender. However, the military still had the last say and refused to. The Japanese government let the 2nd bomb happen. They could've prevented the 2nd bomb from happening, but let it be dropped on its own people to "test" the U.S.. Russia then got involved several days later by threatening to invade Japan. Japan knew they couldn't handle more atomic bombs and an invasion, and formally surrendered on September 2nd of 1945. - After it all, an estimated 200 thousand lives were lost to the dropping of those bombs and the Japanese economy was ruined. However, America didn't sit back and watch them suffer. America helped them rebuild their economy and country for 10 years after WW2, which resulted in Japan years later to be greatly prospering. To this day, the constitution for Japan is known as the MacArthur Constitution because he introduced many of the new policies for Japan during the reconstruction. I might be missed a few more important points, but these are definitely strong ones to think about. Just thought I'd do this because of my history class. Been awhile since I've done something worth talking about, might as well be this. Please keep it serious as we are talking about a sensitive topic. No arguments or bait for this one (maybe the next one).