(B) is paraphrased from Oliver Stone's "Untold History of the United States." (A) is the official story, or how I remember it, anyway. The first deployment of a doomsday weapon was not only unnecessary, but unsuccessful in achieving its stated objective. Outnumbered, outgunned, facing imminent defeat on the Asian mainland, and having little standing left to negotiate from, the Japanese surrendered on August 15th. The situation changed abruptly with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria on August 9th. This also served as a field test of their new weapon, which had only been detonated once before.ĭespite the devastation, this was not enough to cause Japan's surrender the earlier fire-bombing of Tokyo had been even more destructive, and the Japanese believed (correctly) that the Americans only had a few of these bombs. In 1945, the Japanese navy was in tatters, and despite publicly declaring they would fight to the end, were quietly attempting to negotiate with the Soviet Union.Īt the same time, the Americans, eager to bring a quick end to a war that had already dragged on too long, and wishing to make a show of strength to establish their position in the post-war world (especially, to demonstrate their technical superiority to the U.S.S.R.) dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Having little choice, the Americans dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th, and, when the Japanese failed to surrender, dropped a second on Nagasaki on August 9th.įaced with the overwhelming destructive force of this new weapon, Emperor Hirohito surrendered to the Allies a few days later. The Japanese people were prepared to fight to the death, with even schoolgirls being trained to fight with bamboo spears. Such an invasion would cost hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides, and would leave Japan in ruins. In 1945, The United States was presented with the necessity of invading Japan in order to end the war. "Boots on the ground" do make a difference, but unless you're fighting WW3, your efforts are best spent locally, not halfway across the globe. I can see how you might like it as a job, but don't get the idea that there's some greater good involved. If you join the military, you're just signing yourself up as a particular type of government employee. that's incredibly stupid of you.ĭo you love the lines on the map? Is this patch of sand worthy, but the one on the other side of the fence of less value, somehow? Seems arbitrary.ĭo you love the geography, the countryside, the trees, the grass, the sky? That I get, but that isn't really what most people think of, when you say "country." Say you love nature, or something.ĭo you love the people, the culture? Well, I get that too, but you shouldn't confuse that with the idea of the country as a whole. The idea of "country" is abstract, and maps to a number of different realities.ĭo you love your government? Because, speaking as a foreigner, your government is the most visible manifestation of your country, and. You say you love your country, are willing to kill for it, even die for it.
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