The Rape of Nanking
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The Sino-Japanese War atrocities employed by the Japanese army when it invaded Nanking in December 1937 is the main subject of Iris ChangÆs The Rape of Nanking, that she subtitles ôThe Forgotten Holocaust of World War II.ö Chang is as concerned with why the ensuing, brutal massacre was ôforgotten,ö or at least kept relatively secret, as with exposing what happened in the Chinese capital. The influence of post World War II Cold War politics on this horrific episode, as well as the militaristic culture of Japan, is explored by Chang to understand the dynamics of the destruction of Nanking. In writing the book, she explains, she delved ôinto not only history but historiography-to examine the forces of history and the process by which history is made. What keeps certain events in history and assigns the rest to oblivion?ö (200). Chang uses three points of view to present the story of Nanking: the Chinese victims, The Japanese invaders, and a small group of Westernersù-a French priest, a German Nazi businessman, and American missionaries among others--who attempted to save as many people as they could from the brutal massacre of 1937 by creating a ôsafety zone.ö Chang holds these few in high regard. ôIt seems almost miraculous that (they) managed to do everything they did while fifty thousand Japanese soldiers ripped apart the cityö (108). However, she states her belief that ôin the history of every war, there are always a few rare individuals who emerge as beacons of hope for
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Rape Nanking, German Nazi, Nanking Chinese, Third Reich, Cold War, Chang Chinese, Rwanda Bosnia-Herzegovina, IIö Chang, Japanese Army, Sino-Japanese War, rape nanking, crimes humanity, world war, war crimes, japanese war crimes, war ii, cold war, writing book, brutal massacre, japanese troops, passive spectators, world war ii,
Approximate Word count = 995
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page)
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