United States Atomic Bomb Dbq

The United States decion to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima was a diplomatic measure calculated to intimidate the Soviet Union in the post-Second-World-War era rather than a strictly military measure designed to force Japan's unconditional surrender.

The United States main goal for the two nuclear devices Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki wasn't not to bringing an end to the war with Japan, but to intimidate the Soviet Union. The United States nuclear bombing demostrate the nuclear power the US had verse the Soviet Union making the US a superpower country at that time. Also, at this time relations with the Soviet Union started to turn, showed by US wanted to frighten the U.S.S.R. by bombing Japan.

Dropping the atomic bomb was a major factor in Japan's decision to accept the terms laid out at the Potsdam agreement otherwise known as unconditional surrender. Their casualties in defending the doomed island of Okinawa were 110,000 killed and the blockade that the allies had enforced putting trade down to almost nothing leaving the Japanese with little to no resouces(Doc A). Americans had hit some 60 Japanese cities with out High Explosives and incendiary bombs (Doc B). Japan was dieing off quickly. The Allies know this and the reason that dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would intimidate USSR. The United States could have just sat back and waited for the Japanese demise.

At the Yalta conference President Roosevelt asked Josef Stalin for USSR support in the war with Japan (Doc D). In return Roosevelt agreed to terms that created more tension between the two countries because it gave the Soviet Union too much power in world affairs. At the time, Roosevelt was sure that the United States could win the war easily without Soviet help, he thought that Japan would have to be invaded (Doc C).When Truman became President of the United States after Roosevelts death. Truman said a Soviet invasion of Japanese was unnecessary. Prime Minister Winston Churchill said "It is quite clear that the United States do not at the present time desire Russian participation in the war against Japan" (Doc E). As World War II came to a closure, two new superpowers emerged the United States and the Soviet Union. The Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was world shaking news(Doc E). The United States superior weaponry had got the