“The desire to defeat Japan was the main reason for the use of atomic weapons by the US.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement. Candidates may refer to US officials believing that a costly invasion would be required before Japan surrendered, thus weapons were dropped to shorten the war and save American lives. The battles on Iwo Jima and Okinawa may be examined to reflect the kind of defence the Japanese could make. Candidates may also refer to multiple opportunities for surrender offered to Japan, which had not been accepted. Other relevant factors, for example the US’s desire to display power over the USSR; the expense of the Manhattan Project and/or retaliation for Pearl Harbor, may be referred to, but with a focus on the issue in the question.

The question required candidates to offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that the desire to defeat Japan was the main reason for the use of atomic weapons by the US. The question was amongst the most popular choices of the exam session. However, many candidates provided a narrative of the wartime relations between the US and Japan or discussed the war in terms of events both in Europe and the Pacific. There were some outstanding responses that addressed multiple theories with depth of knowledge and analysis as well as historiographical assessment.