The Raid of Nanking.
"It is a horrible story to relate; I know not where to begin nor to end. Never have I heard or read of such brutality."- James MaCallam-
     The Rape of Nanking was without any doubt, the most brutal and horrifying genocides Asia has taken place in Asia. It was beyond what one could witness in the worst of nightmares. Japan had built a dome of fear around what was China's capital at the time. The barbaric ways of the Japanese army snatched slowly but yet so many souls from the people who lived in Nanking. Due to the impact history has on the future, it is important that this matter is studied .
     This Genocide took place in the second Sino-Japanese War, the largest Asian war in the 20th century. The Japanese soldiers fought the first battle in China in the city of Shanghai. After the battle got over, the Japanese started their march for Nanking. People did flee from Nanking before it were to turn into a bloody massacre. Similar to the Russians with the war with Napolean, the inhabitants of Nanking used the scorched earth policy in which they got rid of anything that the Japanese could utilize. Approximately 25 million dollars worth of items were "scorched". For the people who couldn't escape from the city were in a situation where no mercy would be displayed by the Japanese army. The Rape: For about a month and a half, the city was being sacked due to the lack of resistance on behalf of the People's Republic of China. Killing , robbery, rape and various other kinds of torture were taking place . There were various quotes regarding this event. This one in particular is from Iris Chang the author of a best seller, The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II (1997)."Yes I mean , we have to keep in mind that it's not just about the number of people who died; it's also the manner in which many of these victims met their deaths. The Japanese turned murder into a sport. They rounded up tens of thousands of men and used them for bayonet practice or decapitation contests, or they simply sprayed gasoline on them and burned them alive. Some men were skinned alive,tortured to death with needles, or buries wasist down and in the soil, where they were ripped apart by German shepherds. The Chinese women suffered far worse, and many of them were mutilated horribly after rape. And the Japanese even forced fathers to rape their own daughters or sons their mothers, brothers their sisters in order to further degrade the victims." Men literally had to dig their own graves. Women were sexually harassed . Children were weren't spared. The bayonets pierced through their flesh. These acts gave Asia a preview of hell.
     This genocide was less than a decade before the next major one in which Hitler executed Jews. In the 6 millions , the Holocaust still holds the record for the most number of people killed in a genocide. If one were to compare this to the Massacre at Nanking, it wouldn't take much time for him/her to conclude and say that the genocide at Nanking was more cruel due to the time it took for people to die, even though there were less casualties present. Nanking was a bit over 5 % of that of the Holocaust. There are different reasons for why these genocides took place. The Holocaust took place because Hitler thought he was racially superior to the Jews. The Nanking massacre on the other hand didn't have a reason. The Japanese just went ahead and did it. There is no evidence of a solid stimulus. All in all, both genocides made the times dark for the victims.
     History books should include and emphasize on this event as well. This event is under the shadow of the Holocaust and World War 2. Due to the fact on how vulgar and inhumane this immoral act was, it's hard to throw light on this matter where as other historical events have a relatively content ending. For example, most countries under imperialist rule got independence, the holocaust had seized after Hitler's defeat, and the Berlin wall fell down. However there is no way to end a lecture on a good note. Therefore this material should be taught in high school, and it should be given the same amount of significance the Holocaust receives.
     The rape of Nanking was a crime against humanity and for that reason someone had to pay the death penalty. Even today, people argue if it was legitimate to go ahead and kill the person who was in charge. General Matsui was in charge of Japan's army and didn't condemn this activity. After world war II Japan fell as an empire as they also faced a mass execution, except this one a bit more moral . The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings didn't only provide a quick death but it also saved an estimate of one million lives on both sides.
     This can be dubbed " The Holocaust of East-Asia" .The world in what you live in today is the product of its past. The two countries today are dominating Asia's economy . To conclude , there have been cruel acts in history, there is cruelty present in the world today and there will be cruelty in the years to come.
Bibliography: Gergen, David. "FORGOTTEN HOLOCAUST." 20/02/1998 22 May 2008 <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/gergen/february98/chang_2-20.html>.
"The riegn of Terror : What Westeners Witnessed." 22 May 2008 <http://www.geocities.com/nankingatrocities/Terror/terror_03.htm>.
Esler, Ellis. Word History Connections to Today. Needham: Prentice Hall, 1999