Quick questions on The end of the war and the atomic bombs explained: N(A)-Level History

By 1944 Germany was being crushed from two directions. In the east, the Soviet army, after its victory at Stalingrad, pushed the Germans back across Eastern Europe toward Germany itself. In the west, the Allies, led by Britain and the United States, launched a huge invasion of German-occupied France, landing on the beaches and beginning the liberation of Western Europe. Caught between the Soviets advancing from the east and the Western Allies from the west, Germany was steadily overwhelmed.

In the Pacific, the war against Japan continued after Germany's defeat. After the turning point at Midway, the United States and its allies fought their way toward Japan across the Pacific, capturing one island after another in fierce and bloody battles. The Japanese resisted with extraordinary determination, often refusing to surrender and fighting to the death. As the Allies drew closer to Japan, the fighting became even more savage, and it was clear that invading Japan itself would be extremely costly in lives.

To end the war quickly, the United States used a terrifying new weapon: the atomic bomb. In August 1945, American aircraft dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese cities, causing massive destruction and enormous loss of life, with many people killed instantly and many more dying later from injuries and radiation. The power of these bombs was unlike anything seen before. Shortly afterward, with the Soviet Union also now joining the war against it, Japan surrendered.

The use of the atomic bombs is one of the most debated decisions in history, and a good answer explains both sides. Those who defend it argue that it ended the war quickly and saved the lives of soldiers, both Allied and Japanese, who would have died in an invasion. Those who criticise it point to the terrible suffering of the civilians in the two cities, and argue that Japan might have surrendered soon anyway, or that the destruction was out of proportion. Being able to weigh these arguments and reach a balanced view is exactly the kind of judgement markers reward.

Explain why the United States used the bombs and the debate about that choice, not just how much damage they caused.