The essay “Thank God for the Atom Bomb” by Paul Fussell provokes some controversial feelings, since the use of nuclear weapons was undoubtedly one of the cruellest acts of war. At the same time, the author gives many justified reasons that force readers to think about the necessity of using the most dangerous weapon in the world. However, many of Fassel’s arguments in favor of the use of the atom bomb against Japan seem doubtful, since they are built on the hypotheses of the possible development of events without its application.
Nuclear weapons have a lethal power that destroys everything around its explosion and does not distinguish the guilt or innocence of people. Fassel’s main point is that although the use of the atomic bomb was a tragedy for Japan and the world, it stopped the war and thereby saved even more lives. In addition, the author claims that if a similar scenario had been played a few years earlier in Nazi Germany somewhere at the command headquarters, millions of other lives would have been saved.
However, the evidence are just a guess, and although they are based on some logic, human cruelty is often not amenable to the arguments of the mind. For example, an atom bomb would have been dropped in Germany and taken thousands of lives, but Nazi leaders could have hidden, and even if they died, their furious followers might have taken their place. There are too many assumptions in this scenario which no one can prove.
The atom bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed thousands of people, and the civilian population suffered the most. Undoubtedly, such power of the American army and the number of victims pushed Japan to surrender, but other facts could also lead to such a decision. Nazi Germany and its allies had already lost their positions and the war in Europe mostly finished, so it can be assumed that Japan also had to retreat soon. For this reason, a crime against innocent people does not justify the possible acceleration of the process of ending the war.
The only positive consequence of the use of the atomic bomb, I see in fact that countries are afraid to use them, knowing about their power. This thread allows heads of states who own weapons to maintain balance and hold each other. However, this power could be shown by military testing, and the media propaganda could intensify and keep people’s fear, so human sacrifice for intimidation was not necessary. For this reason, I would like my country to possess nuclear weapons only as a measure of protection and threatening but does not to use it. If the world begins to fight with atomic bombs, then in a week only ash will remain from it.
Thus, the use of the atomic bomb in Japan had terrifying consequences for millions of ordinary people. The hypotheses that this event helped to accelerate the end of the war, and could do it even earlier, are only hypotheses, even if the author finds several convincing arguments for them. World politics, and especially internal politics, is a big secret, and only a few people are aware of the possibility of alternative developments. However, neither scientists nor historians can check and verify any assumptions related to the use of atom bombs against Japan.