essay

INSTRUCTIONS: As we have seen in this course, the principle job of historians is to interpret the past. They not only try to understand the basics elements of what really happened, but they try to understand why things happened the way they did. This is difficult work and often results in disagreements between historians about how best to interpret a particular event, an historical process, or an entire era.

One famous disagreement has to do with the use of the atomic bomb during World War Two. Historians have spent decades debating the reason(s) why the United States decided to use the atomic bomb against Japan. Keep in mind, the US has never used this weapon against any other opponent. Many books and academic articles have already been published on the topic, and many more will likely be published in the future.

In this assignment, it is your job to carefully read John McNays book review of Tsuyoshi Hasegawas Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan (http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=11559) and answer the following questions:

1) Why has there been so much debate over why the United States used the atomic bomb against Japan?

2) What are the main contributions Hasegawa makes to this debate in Racing the Enemy?

In order to successfully complete the assignment, you will need to have completed all of M4S3 World War II (http://limitstodemocracy.weebly.com/wwii.html). Consider watching the Crash Course video on World War Two again, particularly from minute 9:00 to the end.

As you write, pay close attention to the requirements below, and paraphrase where possible. If you want to quote something, limit yourself to a short sentence at most. Do not include any information that is not on the course website, in the online textbook, or from the book review itself.