World War II was a long and painful experience for all the countries involved. The European side of the war had come to a close, and now the US and their allies were forced to make a decision that would change the course of history forever. The world had known for years that nuclear fission had monstrous potential. That the dropping of one bomb could potentially wipe out a city or perhaps do absolutely nothing at all. The United States had numerous reasons to drop the bomb whether it was politically, militarily, or economically. The United States had a decision to make with only two options both would cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of men and women. The only question was in what area did they have more to loose?
             In the 1930's the US was in a period of isolation, they wanted to avoid war at all costs. They were in a deep depression and concerned only about the welfare of its own citizens. When Japan began to attack Asia in an effort to unite all Asians, it did not entirely concern the American public. Japan began to move throughout Asia taking over Asian speaking lands. The Americans tried a few tricks to try and discourage these activities, the placed embargos on Japan and they gave some assistance to China, but other than that the Americans did not overly involve themselves in Asia's affairs. So when Japan sunk the Panay, Americans settled for nothing more than an apology. Japan took this as a sign of weakness and being a paper tiger. This eventually lead Japan to the conclusion that they could attack Pearl Harbor and get away with it. They underestimated the will of the Americans and the strength of the public to overcome adversity. So when Japan attacked the United States on December 7, 1941, they awoke a sleeping giant and aroused a fury that could not be tamed.
             When the United States entered World War II, they had an obligation to help the allies fighting in Europe, but their main concern was the Paci...