Abstract for:Was the Atomic Bomb Necessary to End the Pacific War?

In 1945, President Truman and the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Japan in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The mission resulted in mass civilian casualties, totaling between 100,000 to 200,000 deaths and creating lasting detrimental nuclear effects such as starvation and poor health conditions. In the few days after the second bomb was dropped, the Japanese surrendered. Despite ending in a surrender and ending the Pacific War, many still ask the question whether the bomb was the best approach in trying to induce a surrender, and more importantly, if this action was the direct cause for surrender. This model aims to test if the bombs were not necessary for Japanese surrender by assessing the Japanese population and supply chain dynamics and the amount of pressure they would have been subjected to with a continued U.S. blockade and a Soviet Invasion of Manchuria.