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In the Shadow of the Bomb
Jeffrey L. Richey, Ph.D.
GSTR 221-O: Western Traditions II
Berea College
Spring 2004
TOTAL WAR
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“War is simply… political
intercourse, with the addition
of other means” – Karl von
Clausewitz (1780-1831)
“To gain command of the
air… [renders an enemy]
harmless,” destroying “the
will of the people” – Giulio
Douhet (1869-1930)
“Do you want total war… a
war more total and radical
than anything that we can
even imagine today?” –
Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)
“This is total war” – Richard
Perle (1941-)
PRECURSORS TO
HIROSHIMA
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1911: Aerial bombardment
pioneered by Italians against
Ottoman Empire in Libya
1940-41: German aircraft bomb
British cities nightly, killing
40,000 civilians
1941: Japanese aircraft destroy
much of U.S. Pacific fleet at
Pearl Harbor
1942: U.S. retaliates by
bombing city of Tokyo, killing
83,000
1945: Britain and U.S. bomb
German city of Dresden, killing
135,000
BACKGROUND TO
HIROSHIMA
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Late 1942: Japanese forces
begin to lose key battles,
resources
June 6, 1944: Allies invade
France
April 30, 1945: Hitler
commits suicide
May 7, 1945: Germany
surrenders one week later
July 26, 1945: Potsdam
Ultimatum calls on Japan to
surrender unconditionally in
the face of certain defeat
THE BOMBING OF
HIROSHIMA
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At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945,
U.S. B-29 aircraft Enola Gay
drops “Little Boy” on
Hiroshima
Explosion equivalent to 12,000
tons of TNT
70,000 of 76,000 buildings in
city totally destroyed
80,000 killed immediately
By end of 1945, 60,000 more
dead of radiation sickness
By 1951, another 50,000 killed
by effects of radiation
HIROSHIMA: PRO AND CON
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2.
Thousands of Japanese
soldiers were based near
Hiroshima
Japan surrendered only after
second atomic bombing
(Nagasaki, August 9 –
100,000 cumulative deaths)
Because of this, some argue
that atomic bombings were
necessary to end the war in
Asia:
Estimated 50,000 U.S.
soldiers’ lives saved
Estimated 200,000 Japanese
soldiers’ and civilians’ lives
saved
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By August 1945, ¼ of housing
and almost all factories in Japan
destroyed by constant U.S.
bombing
If deterrence was the goal, why
not demonstrate power of
weapons in uninhabited area?
Minutes of U.S. Target
Committee record that
“psychological factors in the
target selection were of great
importance”
By 1943, British and U.S.
already eager to intimidate
Soviets as plans for post-war
world proceed
LEGACIES OF HIROSHIMA
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Military strikes on civilian
populations now standard
practice in warfare (e.g.,
Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq,
Israel/Palestine)
Mutually Assured Destruction
(MAD): would-be aggressor
nations deterred by certainty of
their own destruction in
retaliation for “first strike”
Fallacies of MAD:
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Nations possessing nuclear
weapons and their estimated
numbers:
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Assumes infallible ability to detect
nuclear launches
2. Assumes perfect rationality on part
of human agents
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U.S. (10,640)
Russia (8,600)
China (400)
France (350)
United Kingdom (200)
India (60-90)
Pakistan (24-48)
Israel (??)
North Korea (??)
Iran (??)
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Estimated number of nuclear
weapons still active: 40,000