1. What is going through your mind?

What are your thoughts about the information we have

learned?

Right now I am completely horri ed as it seems of something that comes out of

a horrible Stephen King movie. Even beginning to think of a quarter of the

things they did to the poor people of Nanking just makes me sick. The fact that

not only did they murder them, they were gruesomely murdered, raped, and

completely dishonored.

2. Why did America not get involved in stopping the Rape of Nanking?

The United States did not intervene in the con ict at that time for several reasons. One reason was that
the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression, and many Americans were struggling with
unemployment and economic hardship, which made it di cult for the government to justify any military
intervention in a foreign con ict. Additionally, the United States was following a policy of isolationism at
the time, which aimed to keep the country out of foreign con icts and focus on domestic issues.
Furthermore, the United States did not have a formal alliance with China at the time and did not have any
strategic interests in the region that would have warranted military intervention.
3. Could something like this happen today? Why or why not?

I mean of course anything is possible today with enough power but if someone were to

see the brutality and force of what was happening I believe they would band together to

stop it. So no, I do not believe it’s possible for this horrible of an event to be possible

today.

4. Why do people and nations look the other way during some atrocities (massacres,

violence)? Can this ever be justified? Explain.

There are several reasons why other people and nations may look the other way

during some atrocities, including: Lack of information, Self-interest, Political

constraints, and moral ambiguity. While some of these reasons may help explain
why people and nations look the other way during atrocities, they do not
necessarily justify such inaction. Ultimately, individuals and nations have a
responsibility to protect human rights and prevent atrocities whenever possible.
When faced with situations of this nature, it is important to consider the potential
consequences of inaction and to take steps to prevent or mitigate harm to
vulnerable populations.

 Rape of Nanking

Watch an 8-minute clip of “The Century Video”, episode “Civilians at War”.

WARNING: Preview the video first to see if it is ok for your class. It is not inappropriate but it is intense.

If watching the whole video, play from the 32:30 – 40:00 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMWYblZ8gwQ

If watching from this link which broke the video into parts, watch from 2:30 – 10:00 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1ORDjttp4