Throughout history, genocide has been one of the most devastating human calamities. The Rape of Nanking, or the Nanking Massacre is an example of one of the worst genocides in history. This event was so horrific that it is sometimes referred to as the “forgotten Holocaust” (The Rape). Beginning on December 13, 1937, Japan invaded China and “the mass execution of soldiers and the slaughtering and raping of tens of thousands of civilians took place in contravention of all rules of warfare” (The Rape). This occurred because the Japanese had a feeling of contempt towards the Chinese and thought of them to be inferior. The Japanese soldiers and the Japanese government were at fault for all the crimes committed against the Chinese people. Another infamous genocide is the Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing. On June 3, 1989, the Chinese army moved into Tiananmen Square and opened fire at peaceful protesters and innocent civilians. The victims of this massacre were unarmed protesters, mainly students, protesting against China’s Communist administration, as they demanded democratic reform. The army shocked its people by its “sudden and extreme response to the peaceful mass protest” (W1). The Chinese government is to blame for the savage killings of their own people. Ultimately, the Japanese soldiers and the Japanese government are to blame for the Rape of Nanking while the Chinese government is at fault for the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
The Rape of Nanking is one of the cruelest crimes against humanity. When the city of Nanking fell in 1937, the Japanese soldiers started to implement brutal methods of torturing and killing the Chinese people. “Tens of thousands of young men were rounded up and herded to the outer areas of ...
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...many of their own people died and therefore are at full fault for the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Furthermore, the Chinese government even guaranteed their safety by telling them that the protest would be suppressed without violence. “Troops were used to clear the square despite repeated assurances from Chinese politicians that there would be no violence” (W1). Also, to this day, “Beijing still suppresses the truth about the Tiananmen Square Massacre” (Wright). Because the Chinese government lied to their people and to other people worldwide, the Chinese government should solely be held accountable for their actions towards their own people during the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Ultimately, in the future, war crimes like the Rape of Nanking and atrocities such as the Tiananmen Square Massacre can be prevented by being more aware and involved in world affairs.
“The Death of Woman Wang”, written by Chinese historian Jonathan Spence, is a book recounting the harsh realities facing citizens of Tancheng country, Shandong Province, Qing controlled China in the late 17th century. Using various primary sources, Spence describes some of the hardships and sorrow that the people of Tancheng faced. From natural disasters, poor leadership, banditry, and invasions, the citizens of Tancheng struggled to survive in a devastated and changing world around them. On its own, “Woman Wang” is an insightful snapshot of one of the worst-off counties in imperial Qing China, however when taking a step back and weaving in an understanding of long held Chinese traditions, there is a greater understanding what happened in
Kelman, Herbert C., Hamilton, V. Lee. “The My Lai Massacre: A Military Crime of Obedience”. Writing & Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009. 266-277. Print.
...target to escape and even held a competition of the person who kills 100 people first will win the game. The Japanese keeps denying their actions and refuse to give an official apology to all the offenders. Their officials go to shrine to pay homage on their so-called heroes, ignoring how these “heroes” have deeply injured the Chinese. During the Holocaust, alive human beings were taken to the chamber of gas and organs were taken to do the experiment. How the Nazi treated the Jewish was similar to how the Japanese treated the Chinese.
Despite having the horrific Nanking Massacre occur 70 years ago, its history is barely buried like many of the dead were at the time. The Nanking Massacre (also known as the Rape of Nanking) occurred as a part of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War, which would then become part of World War II. This war involved the Republic of China defending against the invading Japanese forces. Unfortunately, China was weakened due to a civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists, so it was easily invaded. The Nanking Massacre shows the negative elements of Human Nature and should be taught in schools because it portrays the brutality of the Japanese in Asia.
When most American people think of Germany, they think of sports cars made for the autobahn, sauerkraut, Adolf Hitler, and the Holocaust. Compared to Germany, when most American people think of Japan they think of sushi, Godzilla movies, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. World War II was such a significant event in history that almost 70 years after it came to an end, today’s younger generations often associate former Axis controlled countries with the war. People around the world are filled with disgust and immense hate when they hear the name Hitler, mainly because of his leadership under the Holocaust; which was the discriminatory mass genocide of 11-17 million people, the vast majority of which were European Jews. Hirohito, former Emperor of Japan, should strike a similar bell with people when they hear his name because Japan carried out genocide on Chinese civilians and soldiers in World War II. Japan’s attack on the Chinese city of Nanking, was one of the most atrocious events in history. This event has been named both the Nanking Massacre and the Rape of Nanking. The torturous, violent techniques used by the Japanese army upon Chinese civilians and soldiers including dehumanizing them, addicting them to drugs, and other perverse and violent acts, are some of the most grosteque methods ever recorded that could only be thought of by sadistic Japanese soldiers. The events committed by the Japanese army in Nanking, are equally as disgusting as the acts that Nazi Germany committed and should become a major topic involved with World War II in the future, despite the lack of light shed on it in the past for various reasons.
Imagine every friend, every neighbor, every single person in one city being raped, killed, tortured. In the genocide known as the Rape of Nanking, the city of Nanjing was brutally taken captive by the Japanese. On the other hand, all of Germany attacked the Jews. But both of the genocides involved killing, raping, and dehumanizing. The Holocaust exterminated a whole lot more people than the Rape of Nanking. Germany also paid for their crimes, while Japan hardly acknowledged it. Both genocides also happened during the same time period, too. The Rape of Nanking was a smaller genocide than the Holocaust, but they still have their similarities and differences.
Spangenburg, Ray, and Diane Moser. The Crime of Genocide: Terror against Humanity. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2000. Print.
The atomic bombings of Japanese cities and the genocides of the Holocaust are horrific events in human history. Although these events have their differences, they influence the world greatly today because they differ from each other to provide comparisons for history, have significance because of the survivors who tell their personal story, and achieve significance morally as well as immorally.
The Chinese have repeatedly tortured, imprisoned, and murdered Tibetans all for what they claim is national unity. While the oppression of the Tibetan people began in the 1950’s with the invasion of China, it continues just as strongly today. From religious oppression and unfair trials to the torture of nuns and monks, the Chinese abuse even the most reverent aspects of Tibetan culture. Political prisoners, whether they are monks, nuns or lay people, are tortured with utter disregard for human rights. Chinese laws have also been established to eradicate the Tibetan people entirely. Women often must endure forced abortions and sterilization due to Chinese birth policies. Through all of these crimes against humanity, China repeatedly commits acts of genocide as established by the United Nations.
While years pass by and the times change, history, nevertheless unimportant, is continually being made. The more important events are recovered and documented, and artifacts from the time span are conserved. These kinds of incidents, deserving of occupying space in textbooks and in valuable time throughout history courses around the globe, are reviewed time and time again, with the purpose that these kinds of occurrences should never be ignored as well as decades to come, may have a window into the past. However, it appears as though a few incidents are outlined and glorified, forcing some others under the rug, to be long forgotten, while the periods of time change. The Rape of Nanking is certainly one such type of situation. Even though discussed in books and courses, the Rape of Nanking is briefly reviewed as well as ignored, making those curious, with an imperfect understanding on the forgotten Holocaust of World War I. Iris Chang’s raid into China in December of 1937, reveals a ruthless massacre which years afterwards has developed high essential questions not just concerning imperial Japanese militarism but yet the psychology of killers, torturers, and rapists.
Nanking suffered a severe tragedy in six weeks that its memories fail to erase. The tragedy consisting of rape, murder, and looting will never disappear from the city or its inhabitants. Thanks to John Rabe and several others, thousands of Chinese were able to survive. The history of the massacre was slowly dying, but because of books and museums, the history lives onward. The Japanese have not repaired Nanjing or educated their own country about their own mistakes. The Japanese still refuse to believe that the massacre even occurred even though there are pictures of the event and vital proof. The Japanese have surely left a blood stain in the history of this world.
...ghur rights, as human beings, being violated, and who's responsibility is it to make sure that rights aren’t violated, as well as if China is living up to its responsibilities as a world power, to take care of its people.
Japan's attacking China in 1937 is a crime against humanity. On July 7, 1937, Japan attacked Beijing using a missing soldier as an excuse, without no official declaration to war against China. On December 13, 1937, Japan started a series of massacre in Nanking, which resulted in a casualty of 300,000. During the three-month-long massacre, Japanese army kill for pure fun, and their crime include brutal rape of innocent women, beheading civilians as competition, and murder newborn babies. Unit 731 of Japanese army used Chinese people as human test subjects to develop chemical weapon to win the war. They performed amputation and poison gas test on innocent Chinese civilians. When the war reached stalemate, and Japanese troops suffered from hunger, they kill war prisoners and eat the bodies. Japanese officers forced Chinese women to be "comfort lady" for the troops. While the name sounded great, reality was that these "comfort ladies" ended up raped by Japanese soldiers over and over again until death. (Yoshimi 146) These were all crime against h...
When 1937 arrived, Japanese soldiers raided China’s capital of Nanking and began to mass murder citizens. A sole leader of the Japanese Imperial Army was non-existent. There were many of people in power such as generals who allowed these behaviors to occur. Baron Koki Hirota, Foreign minister at the time, proceeded to do nothing while being well aware of the Japanese’s persecution of the Chinese. These unsympathetic murders of those who were thought to be Chinese soldiers as well as woman, children and elderly. This massacre lasted between the 1937 and 1938. Within this time 300,000 Chinese citizens were viciously killed. This genocide is called Rape of Nanking because of raping the woman before killing them. Most likely this group was selected because the second world war happened in Asia. This was significant because a country was able to kill half the population of another. I believe the reason of this Genocide was for Japan to take advantage of China while expand Japan. Most likely the Japanese wished to exterminate China’s entire population.
A Japanese student was assigned to write an essay in English class and the topic was on the “Rape of Nanjing”. The student researched for about six months and discovered that there was huge controversy surrounding the topic because the Chinese say 300,000 were killed and many women were gang – raped while from Japanese sources they say the event never even happened. The Japanese sources claimed that the Chinese fabricated the whole incident up and that the photo evidence was made by the government as