1. Reasons for dropping the bomb
Secondary Source 1:
David Kennedy. Freedom
from Fear. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2001. pp. 840-841.
Excerpt
The “decision” to use the bomb might better be described as
a series of decisions not to disturb the momentum of a process that was more
than three years old by the spring of 1945 and was rapidly moving toward its
all but inevitable climax. In a profound
sense, the determination to use the bomb at the earliest possible date had been implicit in the original decision to build it
at the fastest possible speed. “Let
there be no mistake about it,” Truman later wrote. “I regarded the bomb as a military weapon and
never had any doubt that it should be used.”
Winston Churchill put it this way:
“the decision whether or not to use the atomic bomb to compel the
surrender of Japan was never even an issue.
There was unanimous, automatic, unquestioned agreement around our table;
nor did I ever hear the slightest suggestion that we should do otherwise.”
Secondary Source 2:
Gar Alperovitz, Review of David McCullough's Truman, The
Nation, May 10, 1993
Excerpt
Historians continue to debate why Truman dropped the
bomb. But archival documents leave no doubt that Truman knew that the war
would end “a year sooner now” and without an invasion. One of the main reasons was his awareness
that the shock of an early Soviet declaration of war was expected to jolt Japan
into surrender long before an invasion could begin. [Other historians] have effectively refuted
Truman's oft repeated argument about the number of American lives saved by the
bomb. [Stanford University's Barton]
Bernstein could not find a worst case prediction of lives lost higher than
46,000—even if an invasion had been mounted.
“The myth of the 500,000 American lives saved” Bernstein concludes,
“thus seems to have no basis in fact.”
...At least one of the factors in the minds of those making the decision
to use the atomic bomb involved geo-political and diplomatic concerns about the
Soviet Union.
Discussion questions
1. According
to each historian, why did the US use the atomic bomb?
2. What
evidence does each historian use to support his claim?
3. Review Main Cold
War Foreign Issues (1946-1953)
·
Containment
o
Truman Doctrine – give $$ (weapons) to Turkey
and Greece (prevent spread of communism)
o
Marshall Plan – provide aid (if agree to be
exclusive trade partner with US).
·
The
International Crises of 1948/1949/1950
o
Berlin Crisis – Soviets blockade West Berlin
o
Soviets test first Nuke
o
Communists take over in China
o
Communist North Korea attacks (US backed) South
Korea leading to the Korean war from 1950-1953.
·
NSC – 68
o
US must take lead role in defeated the Soviet
threat to the world, capitalism, democracy
§
Huge increase in defense budget
§
Helps push US in second Red Scare!
4. 2006 “Cold War”DBQ
·
Analyze
question and documents
·
Make
categories and group documents
4. HW
·
The
Origins of the Cold War – Packet
o
Read and
answer questions
·
Thesis
(categories) and topic sentences for 2006 DBQ
o
At least
3 specific facts/events/examples listed under each topic sentence.
