Was the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Justified?

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In August of 1945, we as a species entered into a new age. In many ways we achieved technological miracles orders of magnitude greater than our ancestors could ever imagine. We are also now living in the only period in our species’ history where it is actually possible that we could destroy all life on earth by our own hands. On August 6, the United States used an atomic weapon on the Japanese city of Hiroshima killing tens of thousands. And just 3 days later, they used another on Nagasaki adding thousands to the death toll. From the moment those bombs were detonated, historians, ethicists, and many others have debated: was it justified?

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Atomic weapons are some of the scariest and most significant inventions of the modern age. This series talks about nukes, the literal doomsday weapons

Read More:

Grayling, A. C. (2006). Among the Dead Cities

Ham, Paul (2011). Hiroshima Nagasaki

Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi (2005). Racing the EnemyStalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan

Step Back is a history channel releasing videos biweekly that endeavors to go past the names, dates, and battles you might find elsewhere. It invites you to take a step back, consider the past and how it connects to today. We search for the quirky, unconventional, and just plain weird parts of our collective story.

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Read More:

Allen, Thomas; Polmar, Norman (1995). Code-Name Downfall: The Secret Plan to Invade Japan—And Why Truman Dropped the Bomb

Alperovitz, Gar (2004) [1965]. Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam (2nd ed.).

Bess, Michael (2006). Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II.

Boyle, Francis A. (2002). The Criminality of Nuclear Deterrence.

Carroll, James (2006). House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power.

Dower, John W. (1995). "The Bombed: Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japanese Memory". Diplomatic History 19 (2).

Frank, Richard B. (1999). Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire.

Wainstock, Dennis (1996). The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb.

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Music:

Cryptic Sorrow Atlantean Twilight by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence ()

Impromptu in Quarter by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence ()

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