In the western world when anyone thinks of wartime atrocities their mind immediately goes to the Holocaust during World War II. The systematic extermination of Jewish people by Hitler’s Nazi regime is widely considered one of the most abominable acts of violence by man against other men in the history of the world. The Rape of Nanking was an atrocity committed by the Japanese army against the people of China in the city of Nanking in late 1937 and 1938. Researchers estimate that up to 350,000 civilians died during the Rape which is more than some entire European countries. It is also estimated that 80,000 Chinese women were raped and tortured. This event was easily the worst atrocity committed in the East during World War II but it is in very few textbooks in the west and very few people know anything about it. Many have heard about it in passing but very few know details about what happened. Why is this?
The reason the Rape of Nanking has not received the coverage and outrage over the years that the Holocaust did was because the victims of the atrocity did not speak out against their attackers nor did they seek reparations as the Jewish people did in the aftermath of the war in the European Theater. The reason for this silence according to Chang is based in the political actions of the cold war by the communist regime in China as well as the Soviet Union and the U.S. In the aftermath of WWII the Americans moved almost immediately into defensive political positions against the Soviets to block the spread of Communism. The Americans formed an alliance with the Japanese after the dropping of the atomic bombs and the rewriting of the Japanese constitution in order to have a continued influence in the East to keep an eye on the Communist Chinese and Soviets. This caused the Americans to overlook the atrocities committed by their new allies during the war. The Communist Chinese who were vying for the trade of Japan also chose to overlook the atrocities of the Japanese military in the name of economic prosperity. These conditions combined to cause “The Forgotten Holocaust” to be overlooked in the aftermath of WWII.
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I agree that America overlooked the atrocities. I think they did for several reasons. In Europe, the Russians were already in Europe and the situation was settled in the sense that if the Soviet Union was to launch and invasion, NATO would be there to contain the situation. In the Pacific however as well as South America there was not a real NATO presence and as a result the United States saw it as their duty to protect themselves from communism and have a foothold to stay in Japan. I think this strategy worked because Japan was a KEY KEY KEY KEY KEY KEY location for the Korean War, we got most of our supplies made from Japan and it was a logistical hub for us. Also with Moa Zedong and communism spreading across China, having a foothold with their natural enemy (the enemy of your enemy is your friend) makes sense. My question sir, is do you think the US was justified in hiding and covering up the rape of Nanjing?
It appears that often Nanking is compared to the Holocaust. The events do show some similarities in the brutality in which civilians were killed. However, this brutality occurred on drastically different scales. I wonder if Nanking was just one of many other massacres the Japanese inflicted upon the Chinese. Or if Nanking was an isolated incident. If Nanking was in fact a single episode, I can’t help but wonder why? Why this time, why these people. Nanking was certainly not the only city in mainland Asian occupied by the Japanese. However, it is the one talked about as a massacre.
I agree with Kathryn that the event is similar to the Holocaust, but differs in scale. I mentioned this in my blogpost actually. I would disagree in that the victims did not want justice for what had been done and did not speak out. I think that their voices were largely ignored or silenced by the Chinese governments.