Atom Bomb
Hibakusha felt guilty about surviving when most of the people they knew and their families perished. In 1955, many of the hibkusha came to the United States for plastic surgery. They were nicknamed the Hiroshima Maidens. These were the women who were severely disfigured by the atomic bomb. One lady wrote after she got home that the surgery "has made me an entirely new life." (Feinberg, 1995, 27-28) Japan was already weak as a military strength before the atomic bombs were dropped. After they were dropped, Japan knew it was only going to be a matter of time that more atomic bombs were dropped if they did not surrender. So, on August 14, 1945, the Japanese government accepted American terms for surrender. On September 2, 1945, formal surrender ceremonies took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay. On behalf of the Emperor of Japan, Mamoru Shigemitsu signed and the Supreme Allied Commander, General Douglas MacArthur, signed for the Allies. The treaty that was signed that day was called the Potsdam Declaration. The treaty said, "From the moment of surrender, the authority of the Emperor and the Japanese Government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers." Later, the Japanese Emperor ann
ounced over the radio, "The enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is indeed incalculable." (Wallace, 1993, 18-20) After the U.S. made the atomic bomb a reality, other countries were soon engaged in developing their own atomic bombs. Therefore, the United States indirectly was a cause of the Cold War. When other countries found out how to make the atomic bomb, they used their knowledge to enhance their power amongst other countries. Many small countries could now cause destruction to the whole world. The United States' bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the immediate beginning to the atomic age. This was the beginning of an era where destruction was an easy task. The significance of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was that these were two important events that helped the Allies ultimately win the war. Showing the world that the U.S. had attained the scientific know-how to make the atomic bomb made Japan fearful. In order to save more Japanese people's lives, Japan was forced into surrendering. Japan was already a weak nation military wise. They had very few war planes and not a large army or navy. Hiroshima was one of Japan's military centers and its destruction further weakened it. Two days after the first bombing, Russia declared war on Japan. With the United States and the atomic bomb and Russia declaring war on them, Japan was not in a good position (Feinberg, 1995, 26-27). The United States, as well as the Allied forces, saved many lives by dropping the atomic bomb. The dropping of the atomic bomb, even though it killed hundreds of thousands Japanese people, saved more Americans and other Allied soldiers that would have been killed in battle. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki may not have been exciting battles, but they may have been the
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Approximate Word count = 1222
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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