History of the Event

The necessity of utilizing an atomic bomb in World War II is and will always be under considerable debate among historians. In World War II, people saw the complete mobilization of economies and entire populations. Both sides fought with grim determination and carried out acts of brutality in the hopes of achieving victory.

Prelude to the Bomb:  April 1, 1945. Allies invaded the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. The surrender of Okinawa lead to the collapse of the Japanese cabinet. The Japanese military, determined and motivated, refused to allow negotiations with the Allies. They insisted on maintaing strict terms. For the Americans, this meant war. On July 16th, the first successful test of the atomic bomb weapon took place. At this point, it was clear that the atomic bomb became a reality as a war weapon. The real question was whether the United States would use it to end the war or not. Some of the leaders of the United States hypothesized that the use of the atomic bomb would end the war without a need for invasion.

              The Potsdam Declaration, issued by the Allied powers called for "unconditional surrender". The Japanese did not accept this Declaration despite the fact that the United States promised "complete destruction" of their military and homeland if they did not comply. Due to the following ten days of Japanese silence, the atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on August 6th.