The atomic bombings in Japan were somewhat inevitable since Japan lacked good leadership. With such a strong military force over the country that would rather fight till a better end, it was hard for Japan to surrender. President Truman feared another Okinawa battle, but possibly even on a larger scale. Japan could take on half of the U.S troops by using kamikazes. The bombing undermined morale and economic activity since many Japanese people wanted to surrender because they were nearly defeated. Despite the country’s cry for surrender and the weak defense, the military still sacrificed civilians by prolonging the war. As Joint Chiefs noticed: “saw no prospect of surrender until army leaders acknowledge defeat,” so it really came down to the military to determine whether the war would end. Japan was trying hard to end the war, but they were unable to advocate peace in public since the military assassinated those who wanted to surrender (Steinmann).

In addition to hastening the end of the war, the U.S. had political motives in using the atomic bomb. Although it claims the bomb was purely for military purposes, there is much evidence that suggest additional and less publicized reasons were behind the atomic decision. One main factor was the Soviet Union. The atomic bombs were meant to be a demonstration of U.S. power to the Soviet Union, which was beginning to pose a threat by setting up communist governments in Eastern Europe (Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). By using the bomb to end the war quickly, the Soviets would also be denied a greater role at the peace table for post-war Japan. The U.S. government was also under pressure by critics and much of the public to make good on the $2 billion investment into the Manhattan Project. Furthermore, there was a general hatred towards the Japanese for their atrocities against Allied POWs combined with the sentiments of Pearl Harbor. All of these factors put the government under immense political pressure to use the bombs (Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki).

SOURCES:

"Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . 11 Jul. 2005. Wikipedia. 11 Jul. 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki>.

Steinmann, Martin Jr. ed. Hiroshima : The Decision to Use the A-Bomb. Charles Scribner’s Sons: New York, 1964.