What was the goal of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Answer 1

This question has three very straight forward answers depending on how you interpret events. Either to end the war in the pacific without further loss of life to the Allies, or quite simply, to see what it would do to people.

The first answer, while true, is difficult to justify as it is estimated that the Americans would have won within two weeks without the use of nuclear weapons. Although a lot of people can die in 2 weeks, and I am not certain whether the Americans realised this at the time.

The second answers is also true, as earlier atomic tests had not clearly established the effect of impact on human targets outside of ground zero. To put this into some context, one of the things earlier tests had cleared up is that the bomb wouldn't set fire to the atmosphere in general and kill almost everybody at once (i.e. globally).

The third answer is that other countries were also attempting to develop atomic weaponry, and that deploying it is the simplest way of showing people you have it.

I personally feel that the fact two bombs were dropped and not just the one implies that whilst all the above is true, it is the latter two statements which were the driving force in deploying the atomic bomb.

Answer 2

At the end of World War II, few questioned Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most Americans accepted the obvious reasoning: the atomic bombings brought the war to a more timely end. They did not have a problem with over one hundred thousand of the enemy being killed. After all, the Japanese attacked America, and not the other way around. In later years, however, many have begun to question the conventional wisdom of "Truman was saving lives," putting forth theories of their own. However, when one examines the issue with great attention to the results of the atomic bombings and compares these results with possible alternatives to using said bombs, the line between truth and fiction begins to clear. Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan was for the purpose of saving lives and ending the war quickly in order to prevent a disastrous land invasion.

Answer 3

To make the Japanese realize that such weapons could be used on Tokyo. Instant surrender.

Answer 4

The primary goal for it was to end WW2 as soon as possible. The secondary aim was to end WW2 with the least daths as possible.

Answer 5

to stop the Japanese rain of terror