As the Second World War dragged on, Harry Truman had the responsibility of ensuring that it ended and stopped the devastation it had caused. The American army and its coalition partners were tiring while the Japanese army of 2 million was ready for the offensive. Truman had to make a difficult decision that had to force the Japanese to surrender. Apparently, the Japanese had provoked the Americans to join the war, which at first had focused on European nations. With the entry of America into the war, it was clear that the level of conflict and its effects in both the United States and the other warring nations was to be enormous. Truman was informed of the Manhattan Project, which involved the splitting of the Uranium atom, and gave a green light for the development of a nuclear weapon.
The main reason that forced Truman to use the atomic bomb on Japan was its refusal to unconditionally surrender and stop its troops from engaging in further military confrontations. Before the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan had been given a chance to declare an unconditional surrender from the war otherwise it could face destruction. In the offer for Japan to surrender, Truman did not mention the possibility of using an atomic bomb, which made the military strategists of Japan refuse the offer. With the refusal, Truman allowed an atomic bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima, and up to 70,000 Japanese soldiers died instantly (Judge & Langdon, 2016). Up to 100, 000 other Japanese soldiers died from radiation effects and burns that resulted from the nuclear emissions. However, Japan was still not ready to surrender, an aspect that forced Truman to order another atomic bomb to be dropped on Nagasaki, consequently killing 80,000 Japanese citizens.
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In the post-war analysis of the decisions behind the using of the atomic bomb on Japan, Truman stated that his reasons were largely military-based. The United States was straining from the costs of engaging in a war that it had been provoked to join. The Japanese military was not ready to surrender unconditionally, which meant that the United States military was to remain engaged in the war. The costs of the war with the deaths of several thousands of American soldiers led to the resolution to use a weapon of mass destruction to suppress the relentless efforts of Japan in the continuation of the war. Clearly, the use of the atomic bomb came in handy for Truman to stop the turmoil of the war and end the rising costs of participating in it.
The use of the atomic bomb by Truman was clearly acting as a deterrent measure to control and inhibit future instances of conflict. The war that Japan and Germany were engaging in was unjustified and careless because they had not been provoked. The two countries were trying to show their military and economic muscle at the expense of destruction and killing of innocent people all over the world (Judge & Langdon, 2016). The United States and its allies had to react in a stern way to ensure that any instance of conflict in future is brought under control. The use of the atomic bomb by Truman, which was supported by its allies, acted as a means to ensure that countries starting a conflict in future years are warned of the consequences they stand to face.
Truman’s administration has however been criticized for using an atomic bomb to a weakened Japanese regime that was on the verge of surrendering. Critics have suggested that Truman and the Allies were ethically and morally wrong in using a weapon that killed indiscriminately. The effects of using the atomic bomb in Japan have remained persistent to date, which has led to a nuclear armament race that has hindered global peace and stability. In conclusion, all countries have the responsibility of maintaining peace and tolerance to reduce chances of an eruption of conflicts of the magnitude of the Second World War.
Reference
Judge, E. & Langdon, J. (2016). Connections: A World History (3rd ed.). New York: Vango Books.
