"The Rape of Nanking"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that "The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II " by Iris Chang describes events that happened four years before Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese forces destroyed everything in their way in their march to conquer the important areas of China, not so much for a military victory but to crush the state of mind of a people opposed to everything Japanese; the world has never condemned the Japanese nor has Japan apologized. The author points out that the book lacks objectivity and presents a one-dimensional view of both the Japanese "criminals" and the Chinese women victims. The paper relates that, from a historian's point of view, Chang does not delve into the Chinese government's role in allowing this massacre and other Japanese atrocities to happen.

From the Paper:

"If there is one section of the book where the author spends an inordinate amount of space it is with the lack of responsiveness of the Japanese government to answer charges about the war crimes committed in Nanking. One can see from recent headlines that the Japanese seem loath to do anything about the atrocities committed during the War, including the "comfort women" important from the Philippines and Korea, and other atrocities for which the Japanese government expressed regret, but offered no reparation. She goes into great length about the silence of the soldiers themselves, the rise of many of these war criminals into public life and the private sector and the lack of reparations to the Chinese victims of this Rape of Nanking and other atrocities on the Chinese mainland. Unlike the Germans, for example, who continued to root out suspected Nazis who had taken government and industrial jobs, the Japanese smugly left them alone- as if to say "let bygones be bygones"."

More papers on "The Rape of Nanking":

• Book Review # 94459 : "'The Rape of Nanking'"
• Analytical Essay # 65776 : "The Rape of Nanking" and Japanese Invasion"
• Essay # 73457 : "Rape Of Nanking"

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