Question

What were the causes of the Nanjing Massacre?

Answer 1

I maybe not the best or most qualified expert on this episode but I read some books and reports describing the period and the war leading to this episode and I will try to communicate my impressions.

Explanation:

We have to think of the situation and relations at the time between China and Japan (locked in a terrible war - second Sino-Japanese war) that led to the massacre, to try to understand the roots of such terrible episode.

First of all the Japanese common person was taught that he was superior and in particular superior to Chinese people that, as a consequence, was considered as a non entity from the point of view of the human condition. To make an example, you can think of the attitude of the German troops during operation Barbarossa against Soviet Union, where the Russian peasant, soldier or other was considered subhuman and so not deserving any mercy or piety.

Second we have to look at the terrible conditions of the Japanese soldier (far away from his home) in terms of harshness and brutal treatment in the army. The Japanese soldier was literally brutalized by his superiors and most of the time by his comrades as well! The idea of being merciful or kind was considered almost as an act of treason and probably punished harshly! This doesn't means to be an excuse for the atrocities committed during the massacre but only a way to rationalize the incredible fact where a perfectly normal and probably kind person in normal life could and would turn into a bloodthirsty monster in special circumstances where he was finally free to discharge on other the terrible things he had to endure.

A final possible cause was the exasperation of the Japanese forces that after suffering heavy losses during the previous battle for Shanghai by the hand of a surprisingly efficient and heroic Chinese army, wanted, basically, revenge.

These are only some thoughts that I elaborated, as I told you, from my readings (very few documents survived anyway) on this terrible subject. I think you can find more relevant and qualified information in the literature anyway.