Originally posted by: So
	
	
		
		
			Originally posted by: xalos
	
	
		
		
			Originally posted by: So
	
	
		
		
			Originally posted by: xalos
	
	
		
		
			Originally posted by: K1052
	
	
		
		
			Originally posted by: xalos
The atomic bombings of Japan was more propaganda than anything else.  I admit that it ended up saving a lot of lives.  However, its possible that merely containing the Japanese to their island and not having a land invasion would've caused their surrender eventually.  It would've caused tons of Japanese civilian deaths due to famine and lack of resources on the island.  Since resources was the whole reason that Japan entered WW2 and attacked us.  (We didn't support their war on China)
    
   I don't feel that the U.S. leaders (Truman) really had the best interest of ending the war at heart.  The U.S. could've forced a trade embargo against Japan and kept them pinned to their island with minimal military casualties.  It would've gone on for some time until Japan surrendered but the cost wouldn't have been too much to bear. 
  
   But, with the breaking down of communications with the USSR after Roosevelt's death and Truman not getting along with Stalin.  Truman used the atomic bombs to prove our might to Stalin.  Truman found out the atomic bombs were a success at Potsdam Conference and that's why Truman started acting like a douche at the conference.  
  The Cold War and nuclear arms race might have never happened had the U.S. not bombed Japan.  But, it's hard to say in retrospect what courses were the best options and what would have and would not have happened.  Maybe everything was played perfectly, maybe not.  But, the U.S. wasn't exactly evil when they dropped the bombs.  However, we wasn't completely fighting for peace (lol.. that phrase kills me) either.
		
		
	 
The Soviets had fairly extensive knowledge of the US atomic bomb effort through their intelligence services. Stalin was very much interested in the bomb and would have developed it regardless of the US decision to use it against Japan.
The US already had a fairly effective blockade of the home Japanese islands. We also already sank most of the merchant fleet and reduced the rail network to ruins. That combined with the rice crop failure was hurtling Japan into a famine that would have killed a substantial percentage of it's population.
		
 
		
	 
Yeah, Stalin allegedly knew that the bomb testing was a success before Truman..lol  Spies are everywhere!  But, its hard to say whether or not the size or yields of the arsenals would've gotten as large as they did had the U.S. not used it on Japan. 
Who knows?.. The arms race might have been preventable or inevitable, at least no bombs have been detonated on live targets since.
		
 
		
	 
Alternatively, what if there was an arms race, but when war broke out, nobody was afraid to use them in combat. What if MacArthur had gotten the permission he wanted to use atomic bombs (perceived in this alternate history as "just big bombs" so we built plenty to race the russians) in the korean war? He wanted to break the back of the chinese army and dismantle their government. Millions of Chinese dead in a radioactive firestorm before the devastating effects of fallout become clear?
What if stalin had not been afraid of american bombs because he didn't see their power and had attacked western europe in 1950, instead? The US, not knowing their effects might have made central europe uninhabitable for generations to come.
		
 
		
	 
Good thoughts :beer:
I don't think that the display of the bombs really scared or shocked Stalin.  Maybe the resolve to use them could've surprised him.  Stalin was naturally paranoid of everything around him.  So, I would gather imo that he would've pushed through with nuclear development even if we didn't bomb Japan.  He just had more reasons to do it after we bombed Japan.
But, the Korean war might have never happened had the relations between us and the USSR had not broken down.  No one could ever be certain on what our relationship would've been like with the Soviets.  A bigger question is.. What would have happened if the Truman Doctrine never happened? 
 
		 
		
	 
US-Soviet relations had effectively broken down by the time the Potsdam agreement was struck, as it was clear that stalin was going to prevent self determination in eastern europe and set up a chain of satellite states under his control.
Speculations that the US could have prevented the cold war by doing anything less than simply rolling over and letting stalin have the free reign worldwide is as reasonable as saying that France was responsible for WWI since they didn't simply surrender when Germany invaded them.
		
 
		
	 
Well, lets pretend the Truman Doctrine didn't happen.  What do you think the USSR would've done? It would've been difficult for them to turn many (if any) of the Western Bloc countries communist.  Best luck would've been with the cominform countries that wasn't part of the USSR.  I don't think that would've changed the political climate much though.  
Greece and Turkey would be the only what ifs? Greece would've probably ended up communist.  USSR would've gained a handy warm water port in the Med.  I really don't know what would have happened in Turkey any guess would probably be better than mine.  
U.S. spent like 400 million dollars to stop Greece and Turkey from going communist.   I really don't know what would've happened if the Soviets would've gained a handy warm water port. Cuba probably would've been in better shape but we wouldn't have had a trade embargo against them either.  But, either way.  I can't see too many nations that would've ended up communist that wasn't already communist.  
Not having the Truman Doctrine would've saved the U.S. from the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Cuban Missile Crisis and saved tons of money.  It might've been a fair trade.  S. Korea would've probably ended up in communist hands as well.
But, I have a hard time saying we gained anything with the Cold War.  I don't really feel we stopped the spread of communism to any large degree.  We scared the crap out of generations of people and caused the death of hundreds of thousands.  Created large scary weapons of mass destruction and spent way soo much money it isn't fathomable on defense.  
But, we got the great space race out of it and Nixon and Khrushchev got to discuss kitchen appliances 

 It's interesting to think about different ways things could've played out.  In some ways I think things went about as perfect as they possibly could've.  But, the what ifs? always get me.