The atomic bombs were necessary to end the Second World War. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

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At the end of the Second World War, President Truman decided to use the atomic bombs against Japan in an attempt to end the war. While the use of such force was not technically necessary, it brought an almost immediate end to the war and theoretically saved thousands of lives. Without the atomic bombings, the Japanese leaders might have dragged the war out, refusing to surrender. Moreover, the bombings could be seen as falling in line with the concept of “total war,” which was being practiced in the Second World War by both the Allies and the Axis powers. However, the opposite could be argued as well. The second bomb, dropped on Nagasaki, could be seen as an unnecessary follow-through after the first bomb on Hiroshima. One could go as far as saying that both atomic attacks were unnecessary and even immoral.Supporters of the bombings argue that an invasion of Japan by the Allies would have resulted in a much higher death toll. One such person, Winston Churchill, claimed that invading Japan, as opposed to dropping the atomic bombs, would have
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“sacrificed a million American and a quarter of a million British lives.” It was also reported by the Air Force Association that the “Japanese cabinet had approved a measure extending the draft to include men from ages fifteen to sixty and women for seventeen to forty-five (an additional 28 million people).” Such an increase of Japan’s military forces would have certainly prolonged the war and cost many more casualties on both sides. Moreover, the swift end of the war also saved the lives of those who were already fighting. If the Second World War were to have continued to the ...

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