World War II Test

Essay Outline

To fight and win a war, many difficult decisions must be made by leaders both military and political. Chose the one decision made by an American leader that you believe changed the course of the war the most. Explain the situation that was going on that caused the decision to be made, what the leader had to consider, and if the decision was the correct one (the outcome of the decision.)

  1. Introduction
  2. Set the stage
  3. It was 1945, and WWII was underway for many years. The European war was over, but Japan was still at war and there was no end in sight.
  4. Thesis statement
  5. President Harry S. Truman’sdecision to drop the atom bomb on Japan changed the course of World War II the most, as it brought Japan to it’s knees and ended the war. The Japanese were tenacious fighters, using surprise attacks, and torture, to subdue its victims. They would not give up easily. To end the war swiftly, Wilson had no choice but to use a bomb against Japan. This was the right decision, since it ended the war, protected the lives of future American soldiers,as well as showed the US as a true world power.
  1. Body Paragraphs
  2. Argument one – The situation that was going on that caused the decision to be made
  3. By 1945, America had been in the war for around four years and the end of the war did not appear to be any time soon, as Japan would not give up easily. Americans and their Allies were tired from all the fighting. Also hundreds of thousands of American lives were lost in the war and if the war did end soon, thousands more lives could be lost.
  4. Japan killed many Americans in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and tortured themin the Bataan Death March. This caused negative sentiments towards the Japanese.
  5. *After Pearl Harbor, Japan took over a large part of Asia (East and Southeast) including the Philippines.
  6. **The Battle of Leyte Gulf(1944) was the largest naval battle in history and helped Americans recapture the Philippines. Kamikaze pilots were used by Japan to perform suicide attacks on US ships for the first time in the war. The Japanese navy was almost completely destroyed. In the Battle of Okinawa, which took place from April to June 1945, kamikazes (also) were used and created a large amount of damage. Although they were able to recapture the Philippines, there were 50,000 American casualties (and 100,000 Japanese casualties).
  7. The Potsdam Conference was held in July1945 in Germany after the Germans surrendered. The meeting was between Ally leaders Truman, Stalin, and new British leader Clement Attlee.At the conference, they warned the Japanese that if they did not surrender unconditionally, they would face total destruction.
  8. Japan refused to surrender. As a result, after conferring with his advisers, Truman decided that he would use a new weapon known as an atomic bomb on two Japanese cities. By this time the Manhattan Project was around three years.
  9. The Manhattan Project was a secret project that started in 1942, led by Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer. Its main objective was to create an atomic bomb, also known as an A-bomb, which is a powerful bomb that draws its power from the splitting of atoms. In August 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and a few days later on Nagasaki. There were over 250,000 Japanese deaths as a result of the two bombings.
  10. **At the Potsdam Conference the differences between the United States and the Soviet Union were growing more pronounced. Some argue that the animosity between the US and the Soviets prompted Truman to use the atomic bomb against the Japanese. Some say that the bomb in Japan was used to start the Cold War. (as they showed a massive display of power to intimidate the Soviets.)
  11. Reference back to thesis – Japan’s actions against the United States, its tenaciousness in fighting, as well as disagreements between the US and Soviet eventually led to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which ended the war.
  12. Argument two – What the leader had to consider
  13. Truman had to determine the best course for ending the war. He had to decide whether to continue the war through fighting or ending the war instantaneously by dropping bombs on Japan.
  14. If he continued the war through fighting the war could have lasted many years. The possible loss of human lives, especially those of Americans, was incalculable.
  15. Truman had to consider what the consequences of bombing Japan would be, especially in a city. A bombing would end the war quicker, which would be a relief for the tired soldiers and country. However, there was a great possibility that many Japanese civilians would be injured or killed in these bombings.
  16. He had to consider the American public view of actions since this would kill thousands of innocent people in order to end the war.He also had to think about how the world, including the Soviet Union, would see the US. Would they be viewed as a superpower or a nation to be feared?
  17. Considering that this was a brand new technology, there were many unknowns in immediate and long term effects in Japan.
  18. Reference back to thesis –Truman considered the implications of bombing Japan, including the loss of Japanese lives, the saving of American lives, the retribution for Japan’s attacks on the US, and the rising Soviet Union, as he made a decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which ended the war.
  1. Argument three – If the decision was the correct one (the outcome of the decision.)
  2. On August 14, 1945, V-J Day, just one week after the dropping of the bomb on Nagasaki, Japan agreed to surrender with one condition. They requested that they keep their emperor on the throne with no power. On September 2, In Tokyo on the USS Missouri Japan officially surrendered effectively ending the long four-year war. The surrender was received by Douglas Macarthur.
  3. ***Truman’s decision was the correct one because if he did not do it, it would have resulted in the loss of thousands more American lives in a long, drawn out war. It was the most efficient and effective way to end the war.If people had to die, it was better to lose some enemies, than to your own people
  4. This was payback for Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the Bataan Death March, which both were ruthless and resulted in many American deaths.
  5. Lastly, the bombings would show the world that the US was powerful and prove to the Soviet Union, their next potential enemy, that the US was a force to be reckoned with.
  6. Reference back to thesis –Truman made the right decision to bomb Japan, as it ended the war, saved American lives, provided retribution for Japan’s attacks on the US, and helped the US maintain a position of power with the rising power of the Soviet Union.
  1. Conclusion –
  2. President Truman’s decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,had a significant impact on the course of World War II, as it caused Japan to immediately surrender and the war was over. The Japanese were determined fighters that would not give up easily. They used surprise attacks, such as at Pearl Harbor, as well as torture and ruthlessness, like the Bataan Death March. To get back at the Japanese and end the war swiftly, with the least amount of loss of American lives, his only choice was to use a bomb against Japan. This was the right decision, since it quickly ended the war, protected the lives of future American soldiers, as well as showed potential enemies, like the Soviet Union, that the US was a world power that they needed to fear and respect.