Position Paper

This source is referring to the atomic bombing of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, by the American military in World War 2. The bombs killed and wounded tens of
thousands of Japanese citizens, and left both cities inhabitable because of the high amounts of
radiation from the bombs. The source is a quote from an unknown American citizen in 1954,
around ten years since the bombing. The American citizen believes that the bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki using atomic bombs were justified as Japan surrendered shortly after it
and turned the tides of World War 2. The American citizen's perspective is that if America did
not use atomic bombs, the war would have continued for longer and more American soldiers
would have died and American citizens would have suffered for longer. In the language of the
quotation, they say “brought Japan on her knees”, when referring to the atomic bomb that killed
thousands of Japanese citizens, signaling there is a sense fo Nationalist pride found in the
American citizen. It was a common perspective of that time that the atomic bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki was America’s way of getting revenge on the Japanese for attacking
Pearl Harbor. The Atomic bombings were fueled by the sentiment of rage from American
citizens for Japan attacking their country. The atomic bombs resulted in American pride in their
Nation for attacking back to the people they thought had wronged them. It is now widely
accepted in modern times by people around the world and Americans, that America’s use of
atomic bombs on Japanese citizens was unjustified, and a shameful war crime of America’s
past. But the Nationalist pride that American citizens exhibited during that time period is
represented in quotations like these.
This quotation addresses the question of is the use of mass violence on citizens justified
if it brings peace and pride to a Nation? The perspective believes that the use of mass violence
on another Nation’s citizens is a means to an end to end conflicts and preserve the life of their
own Nation. This perspective should not be embraced because the use of mass violence in
conflicts does not benefit the Nation inflicting it, and acts of mass violence on a Nation’s people
leave deep scars and grudges against other Nations.

The use of mass violence and retaliation does not benefit the Nation inflicting it. A Nation also
does not benefit from starting and continuing conflicts, rather it is costly for them and it takes
years for economies and people to recover from conflicts. The perspective in the quotation
states that the mass violence committed on Japanese citizens achieves the end goal of peace
for America. But it doesn’t acknowledge that by attacking Japan, America joined World War 2,
and joining a conflict of that size, America drained its resources and money to support the war
effort. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, many American citizens were opposed to joining the
war, and held multiple anti-war protests. Americans remembered the economic strain and
suffering of the American people during World War 1. To join World Wars and continue conflicts,
America has to pour all of its country’s resources for the war effort, including rationing for food
so more can be transported to soldiers, and shaming men into joining the war effort with
movements like the White Feather campaign. American citizens were justified in not wanting
America to join in more wars and strain the economy so soon after the Great Depression. The
perspective also states that the use of mass violence on enemies is able to achieve peace. This
is an ineffective and costly way to end conflicts and results in the deaths and trauma of
hundreds of thousands of people. Conflicts can be ended in more peaceful ways like peace
conferences and peace treaties. The Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War 1. Every
Nation attended achieved the objectives they came with and was also able to end the conflict in
a peaceful way. France got a piece of its land back from Germany without needing to start a
conflict over it, and Nations got land and reparations from peaceful negotiations with each other
without having to continue the conflict and effectively ended World War 1. These examples
show how mass violence against another Nation does not achieve peace or a Nation’s
objectives effectively, and that there are more peaceful ways to achieve a Nation's goals. The
perspective is clouded by National sentiment for their own country, and fails to see that because
of the acts of mass violence on a Nation did not benefit their own Nation, and ending the conflict
could have been handled in more peaceful and effective ways.

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This source is referring to the atomic bombing of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and

represented in quotations like these.

leave deep scars and grudges against other Nations.

could have been handled in more peaceful and effective ways.

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