alternatehistory.com

70 years ago today, in 1946, on the orders of Kaiser Wilhelm III, Paris, the center of the Fascist movement, was hit with a nuclear bomb, killing Deloncle, his inner circle, and most of the French high command. In the aftermath, German and Russian forces were finally able to cross the Rhine, pushing the disorganized French troops back into France itself. France would surrender unconditionally that July, ending five years of war.
Obviously the decision was controversial. Paris today is still a shadow of its former glory, and countless great works of art and architecture were destroyed, not to mention the tens of thousands of civilians who survived. On the other hand, proponents of the bomb argue that it was needed to defeat the French, as the wiping out of the High Command caused the French army to melt away. It also had the effect of intimidating the Americans, who might have otherwise launched wars of aggression to spread Communism.
Overall, looking back, I think that the decision was justified. There was a very real danger that France could win the war, especially with Russia still fighting in Asia and the Middle East. The use of the bomb allowed Europe to be under democracy instead of Fascism, and the existence of the bomb has to this day prevented the very real threat of WW3 between the Russian and German Empires on one side and the Americans on the other. So what do you all think? Was the use of the bomb justified?
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