About the Nanjing Massacre?

Question

Why wasnt anything talked about in nanjing, china, like its not a big deal. but then we here everything that is going on in germany with the holocaust. what deal were we making with japan that kept us mouths close durning that time?

10 Points will be awarded by my choice of the best answer.

Answer 1

First, the holocaust was not happening at the time of the Nanjing incident. Check your timelines so you can keep all of that exactly straight. The holocaust extended over a long period of time (years) and people had more time to hear the rumors, learn about it and investigate. The Nanjing and other Japanese atrocities in China mainly took place within short periods of time so they were over almost before anyone could hear about them.

The USA and other countries have repeatedly insisted that the Japanese take responsibility for their actions in China, Korea and the Phillipines during WW II. It is a very touchy issue in Japan, and as you may know, has caused a lot of controversy just within the last couple years, both amongst the Japanese and between the Japanese and their neighbors.

One thing you should understand about the USA in that period is that the USA was almost totally powerless. We had hardly any army at all and our airforce was a joke. For a good account of how this worked, check the interesting book Dwight Eisenhower wrote about his war experiences before he became President."Crusade in Europe" it clearly explains how weak we were at the start of the war and how we afterwards developed an awesome power. Eisenhower was a very smart man who really understood what was happening and handled a tough situation well.

Answer 2

I took AP U.S. History last year, in high school. Believe it or not, we did discuss it in class. I feel that the Japanese did do a horrific thing that should be talked about more when learning history. The reason why I do think it isn't discussed as much is because about 300,000 people died, compared to the 11,000,000 in the Holocaust, though 300,000 is still a lot! Also, I think it was also American feeling toward China of the time; relations weren't the best, and later on, Japan would become more of an American ally than a China ally. It is a good question and I would like to hear what other people have to say about it.

Answer 3

At the risk of sounding cynical or even worse hateful (which I am not) I think part of the problem stems from the fact that China was halfway around the world and also that we couldn't (or wouldn't) relate to the Chinese people as a whole, it only became "interesting" after Pearl harbor.

Whereas , what was going on in Europe, there was still a fair amount of uncensored media in Europe, communicating with folks here in the States, plus, many of the people here either had commercial relationships OR even personal relationships "over there".

That is just my opinon, and you know what they say about THAT! :)

Answer 4

good question