TASSI: War in the Pacific: The Forgotten Holocaust

Return to Main Page

War in the Pacific: The Forgotten Holocaust

By Priscilla Chan

Introduction | Brief History | Personal Note
Objectives | Project Components | Table of Contents

Introduction

World War II was the most destructive war in human history. It began in Asia with the Japanese invasion of China that led to the outbreak of war between the two nations in 1937. In Europe, the Nazi troops invaded Poland in 1939 and took over most of Europe, excluding England and the Soviet Union.

In United States, a great deal of World War II history studied in schools included the Nazi movement in Europe (Hitler, Jewish Holocaust, etc.) and the Japanese involvement with the U.S. (Pearl Harbor, internment, Hiroshima, Nagasaki). However, the history of WWII extends far beyond what is emphasized in our textbooks. Atrocities were committed around the world in places we do not hear about to people we do not know about. The following unit will take you to a spot in history where relatively few people have explored. I am going to warn all readers that the materials found in this unit may be offensive to some people, especially since the events themselves are sensitive topics. Also, a great deal of the material compiled in this unit were written and/or published by Chinese authors or Chinese organizations in hopes to inform people of the events which occurred in China between 1937-1945. I have tried to contact Japanese organizations in hopes to create a more balanced, "unbiased" unit. However, my attempts were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, I hope the information included may pose a challenge or spark an interest for all to take the time and effort to study the realities of war in the eyes of different countries.

Although the information included in this unit is limited, I hope to provide all readers with some basic knowledge on a few pertinent events and topics on China during World War II. The unit is organizeed into the following sections:

Photographs of Nanjing in 1937 - WARNING: MATERIALS DISPLAYED (in this segment and throughout the unit) ARE GRUESOME AND DISTURBING
Basic Facts on the Nanjing Massacre & the Tokyo War Crimes - document based on a pamphlet written by New Jersey Hong Kong Network in 1990
Supplemental Articles Supporting the "Forgotten Holocaust" - articles written by various authors documenting war accounts and atrocities.
Confessions of Japnese War Criminals
Germ Warfare: Unit 731 -segments of news reports and articles about the vivisection of human beings, which was common practice for germ warfare experiments.
Various Post-War Events

Japnese Government View
"Comfort Women"
Japanese War Criminal Watch List
Japan in Court

Home Page of the WWW Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre

Brief History

The Japanese invaded northern China in 1931. Their goal was to take control of the mineral resources and industry of Manchuria and the rich rice growing regions of southern China. In 1937 Chinese and Japanese trooops began full scale fighting outside of Beijing. The Chinese troops struggled valiantly to defend China. On November 11, 1937, after securing control of Shanghai, the Japanese army advanced toward Nanjing, China's capital. On December 9, the Japanese army launched a massive attack upon the city after the Chinese troops refused to surrender. By December 13, 1937, Nanjing fell to the Japanese. In the next six weeks, the Japanese committed the infamous Nanjing Massacre, or the Rape of Nanjing, during which over 300,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed and 20,000 women were raped. The estimated total Chinese casualties between 1937 and 1945 is 35,000,000.

Personal Note

During the Nanjing Massacre, the Japanese committed a litany of atrocities against innocent civilians, including mass execution, raping, looting, pillaging, and burning. As mentioned, very few people know about the atrocities commited by the Japanese in Asia. Fact is the war in Europe and Asia were very similar. There was a domineering group spreading its power, and on the other side was a prime group suffering from the take-over of the domineering group. In Europe, the Nazis were the domineering group, and the Jews were the largest ethnic group of suffer the atrocities. IN Asia, the Japanese were the group in power, and the Chinese were the prime who suffered. We all know about the Jewish Holocaust. What happened to the Chinese Holocaust? For this reason, it is known as the "Forgotten Holocaust." As teachers, we have the choice to either keep our students in ignorance or to expose them to different views that may cause them to think critically and analyze situations so they may come to their own conclusi ons of historical events. Please take the time to review this material so you may bring this challenge of the history of World War II to your classroom. The Home Page entitled "World War II: Resistance and Liberation" gives a brief summary of other important "unknown" events. Also included is a segment on the Jewish Holocaust.

Objectives

Students will research, read, discuss, and analyze the history of Asia, primarily China, during World War II.
Students will reflect on the reading/discussion through written activities, such as journal writing, simulated diary entries, and comments/reflections to classmates via electronic mail.
Students will construct a group research project based on the historical and social contexts of the materials provided and through library research. The research project will include an outline, term paper, visual aid, children's book, and choice of written assignments: a) reaction journal, b) diary, c) poems, and d) group presentation.
Students will develop a more global perspective, as well as greater sensitivity to the atrocities of war.

Project Components

1. Term Paper - The main written portion of your report should be 4-6 pages. IN addition to the written portion of the report, you must include:

Title Page - The title page should be a captivating page which includes each group member's name, due date, project title, class/period, and illustration. Remember, this is the first page people will see. Will your title draw a reader to be interested in your report?
Table of Contents - Your report should be organized into developed subtopics. This will inform the reader where each topic is found. Each page must include the topic and page numbers.
Outline - The purpose of this outline is to organize the information you have gathered for your term paper. You must include at least: a) background, b) three significant events, people, places, or ideas, c) impact it made in history. Be sure you paraphrase the information. This is only the skeleton of your term paper, not the paper itself!
Bibliography - You must list the resources you used for your term paper. Give credit where it is due. If you used the Internet, you must include the address in which you found the information.

2. Children's Book - How would you present this material to a child? Treat this book as an educational tool used for primary grades. DO NOT MAKE THE BOOK TOO GRAPHIC! This is a children's book. Be creative in presenting this part of history. Suggestions include pop-up book, story book, ABC book, children's history book, etc. You must include illustrations and "descriptions" in complete sentences.

3. Choice of Written Assignment (book of poems, diary, reaction journals, etc.) - Your group may decide on what type of creative written assignment you would like to write. You must include facts in your work. Suggestions include: a) book of poems, b) personal diary (soldier, official, or civilian), c) reaction journal of group members.

4. Group Presentation - At the end of this assignment, your group must make a 7-10 minute class presentation. The components of your presentation must include: a) outline of presentation, b) visual aid - i.e. overhead, timeline, diorama, display board, etc., c) creativity. Do not just stand in front of the class lecturing. CAPTIVATE THE AUDIENCE! Suggestions include making the presentation interactive or present a skit/video.

The project grade will be based on: