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How the Atomic Bomb Changed History: What Was the Real Cost of Ending the War?
On August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The bombing killed an estimated 150,000 to 246,000 people, mostly civilians, and remains the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict. Japan surrendered to the Allies on August 15, ending the four-year Pacific War. All of this prompted profound changes in the subsequent historical process.
The outcome of all this was undoubtedly achieved at a staggering price.
War background
As the Allied forces advance in the European and Pacific theaters, in the last year of 1945, the Allies are preparing for a large-scale invasion of Japan. However, the Japanese's tenacious resistance led the Allies to predict that this would make the war extremely costly.
In the final year between June and June 1945, U.S. combat casualties reached 1.25 million, nearly a million of which were suffered in the final year of the Pacific War. In this context, the war has made people feel exhausted, and social needs urgently require an end to this war of attrition.
Frequent recruitment of soldiers and reasonable requests for combatants made the voices supporting the dropping of atomic bombs louder and louder.
Preparation for the invasion of Japan
Before Nazi Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945, planning for Operation Downfall had begun on the Japanese mainland. This aggressive campaign was intended to defeat Japan through a series of landings by the U.S. Sixth Army and then gain control of major cities. However, as the US military gradually approached, Japan's resistance became more desperate.
What's worse is that the Japanese people's lives have become increasingly difficult during the war, and they lack basic living supplies, making the domestic situation dire.
With an estimated death toll of 10 to 20 million, this is undoubtedly an unbearable burden for the Japanese.
Air combat and bombing
The U.S. air campaign in the Pacific Theater began in 1944. With the investment of the new bomber B-29, a series of bombings were carried out against important industrial targets in Japan. However, early attacks frequently failed to achieve the desired results. As the situation changed, the U.S. military began to turn to bombing cities with imprecise incendiary bombs, causing widespread damage to Japanese society.
In the months after the war ended, 64 cities were almost completely destroyed by fire bombs, regardless of life or death.
Development of the atomic bomb
The discovery of nuclear fission in 1938 made the development of the atomic bomb possible. In 1941, British reports showed that the development of the atomic bomb was becoming increasingly urgent. However, after several years of hard work, the United States' Manhattan Project finally succeeded in developing two models of atomic bombs: Little Boy and Fat Man, each using different nuclear materials.
The development of the atomic bomb not only changed the course of the war, but also profoundly changed the understanding of war in later generations.
Ethical and legal controversies
Although there is still a lot of controversy over the use of atomic bombs, some scholars believe that it is a necessary means to end the war and can effectively reduce casualties on both sides. Critics, however, insist the action is a war crime and question its legality and morality.
When tens of thousands of innocent lives are destroyed in an instant, will humans really go through this without thinking?
Conclusion
The dropping of the atomic bomb not only demonstrated the power of technology, but also triggered profound thinking about human nature, law and morality. In today's society, this incident remains a warning to the future of mankind: In the pursuit of efficiency and means to end war, how should we measure the value of human life?
