Why was the United States not charged with war crimes after nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
A few reasons: 1. We won the war. Who was going to charge us with any crime?
The Short Answer
A few reasons: 1. We won the war. Who was going to charge us with any crime? The UN wasn't a thing at this point. 2. Nuclear weapons had never been used before and their use wasn't explicitly a violation of any war crimes. 3. Related to #2, the US and Britain firebombed the shit out of a score of other cities over the course of the war, in both Japan and Europe. The fireboming of Tokyo *alone* killed 200,000 civilians. Given this staggering death toll, the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is not as bad. (As an aside, general Curtis E. LeMay of the US Army Air Force said that had the US lost the war he would indeed have been hung as a war criminal for the firebombings). 3. Their use arguably saved millions of lives. Projections of casualties for Operation Downfall (the proposed ground invasion of mainland Japan) were as high as to 1,000,000 dead Americans and 10,000,000 dead Japanese. In comparison, "only" about 250,000 people total. eta: 5 . What /u/scottynola said.
Analysis
Key Concepts: Wasn't, japan, said
This explanation focuses on wasn't, japan, said and spans 166 words across 18 sentences. At 131% above the average History explanation (72 words), this is one of the more thorough answers in this category, reflecting the complexity of the underlying question.
What This Answer Covers
The explanation opens with: “A few reasons: 1.” It then elaboratesultimately building toward a complete picture across 18 connected points.
How This Compares in History
Ranked #12 of 500 History questions by answer depth (top 3%). This places it in the comprehensive tier — the top quarter of most thoroughly answered questions. Questions at this depth typically involve multi-faceted topics requiring nuanced explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a simple explanation for why the united states not charged with war crimes after nuking hiroshima and nagasaki?
A few reasons: 1. We won the war. Who was going to charge us with any crime? The UN wasn't a thing at this point. 2. Nuclear weapons had never been used before and their use wasn't explicitly a violation of any war crimes. 3. Related to #2, the US…
How detailed is this explanation compared to similar History questions?
This is one of the most thorough answer at 166 words, ranked #12 of 500 History questions by depth. The key concepts covered are wasn't, japan, said.
What approach does this answer take to explain the united states not charged with war crimes after nuking h?
The explanation uses root cause analysis across 166 words. It is categorized under History and addresses the question through 1 analytical lens.