The Droppings of the Atomic Bombs on Japan
Essay Preview: The Droppings of the Atomic Bombs on Japan
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As World War II swept across the globe, the world was in chaos and in a state of apprehension as it witnessed the horrifying brutality and savagery of mankind. The death tolls in nations dramatically increased and they suffered economically, socially, as well as militarily. In an attempt to put an abrupt end to the war, the United States decided to use a deadly weapon that had the capability of obliterating an entire city; the atomic bomb. In order to obtain Japans unconditional and guaranteed surrender, the United States dropped the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Three days later, without even giving Japan time to react, they dropped a second bomb on the city of Nagasaki. Although the droppings of these bombs put an ultimate end to the most savage war in history, the United States was unaware of the adverse effects these bombs would have on Japan, as well as the entire world. The decision to drop these bombs is unjustifiable, inexcusable, and unnecessary due to the myriad casualties as well as the long term deadly effects they have caused on the Japanese population, initiation of nuclear weapon rivalry among nations, and needlessness due to the inevitability of Japans defeat and surrender, thus ceasing the war.
The two bombs have caused the deaths, injuries, and deadly long term effects of thousands of innocent civilians. When the first bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy” was dropped, it exploded with a power of around 20,000 tonnes of TNT (Pyle, 243). In an instant, the intensity and impact of its fire and blast incinerated nearby humans until their only remnants were their shadows which were burned into pavements and walls. It instantaneously killed an estimated 70,000 Japanese civilians and slowly killed and injured an additional 80,000 by the radioactive cloud which formed a mushroom-like shape above the city of Hiroshima. The second bomb, nicknamed “Fat Man” which was dropped on the city of Nagasaki had similar effects of the first bomb and it killed an estimated 40,000 Japanese citizens (Brooman, 199). Not only did the bombs kill an incredible portion of the population, but they also had adverse long term effects on the people caused by atomic radiation. When inhaled, the particles of the radiation can cause damage to the internal organs of humans. These particles may also alter the genetic material in sex cells, which causes birth defects such as heart disease and brain damage (Pringle, 14). Victims affected by the radiation suffered from excessive bleeding of various organs such as the lungs. The radiation sickness and burns also permanently disfigured these victims. Another effect of atomic radiation, which is the deadliest of all, was various forms of cancer (Farris, 45). These effects of atomic radiation have lasted for several generations long after the bombings and even to this day, victims continue to suffer.
One of the bombs deadliest results is the initiation of nuclear weapon rivalry among nations. As the world witnessed the deadly power and destructiveness of the atomic bombs in horror, several nations were motivated to start developing their own atomic weapons. In 1961, the Soviet Union created a hydrogen bomb that was four thousand times more destructive and powerful than the initial uranium bomb. This bomb had an explosive power of fifty-eight megatons (Farris 54). Not too long after the conclusion of World War II, the USSR, Britain, France, and China initiated the development of their own weapons of mass destruction. Scientists around the world created more destructive hydrogen and nuclear bombs that possess an explosive power of several megatons; a one-megaton bomb is seventy-six times as powerful as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Should one of these bombs be dropped, it would pollute land, rivers, oceans, air and endanger food and water supplies. These bombs have the ability to cause irreparable damages to the planet earth (Farris 55). These bombs have been and are still currently being accumulated around the world in horrifying amounts (Ross, 64). The effects of this arms race remains visible to this very day in countries such as Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Iraq, and so forth. Human beings now have the ability to destroy their own planet and although peace