Part 5/10:
Some argue that the nuclear bomb, while terrible, was not the only destructive weapon used. The U.S. firebombing campaigns devastated Japanese cities before the atomic attacks. Cities like Tokyo suffered massive destruction, with a single raid killing an estimated 100,000 civilians. The death toll from conventional bombing campaigns exceeded, in some cases, the casualties from the atomic bombings. This raises questions: if destruction and death are the yardstick, then what distinguishes nuclear weapons from other forms of warfare that have inflicted tremendous suffering?