Ultranationalism and Crimes Against Humanity Chapter 7

Key Terms Genocide Crimes against Humanity War crimes Holocaust Ethnic cleansing

Najing Japanese forces press into China, leading to clashes near Beijing and to the Japanese capture of Shanghai. Tokyo then orders a full-scale attack on the city of Nanjing, where Japanese soldiers loot and kill civilians in a violent rampage sometimes called the “rape of Nanjing.”

Hiroshima and Nagasaki When in late July 1945 the Japanese cabinet rejected the Potsdam Declaration, a renewed Allied demand that Japan surrender unconditionally or face utter destruction, the United States decided to use its new atomic weapons. On August 6 the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Two days later the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, and on August 9 the United States dropped a second bomb on the city of Nagasaki. Faced with such an utterly hopeless situation, the Japanese leadership finally agreed to surrender on August 14 (August 15 in Japan). Japanese emperor Hirohito, speaking for the first time on the radio, broadcast the news to the nation.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Crime? Was the “Rape of Nanjing” a crime? Were the dropping of Atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki crimes? Terrible things occur during war. Why do we label such things as crimes? What are some criteria for what makes on action in war a crime?

Naming the Crimes Genocide: Genocide: refers to the killing of members of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Crimes against humanity: Crimes against humanity: refers to widespread or systematic attacks against a civilian population War Crimes: War Crimes: willful killing torture, or inhuman treatment; willfully causing great suffering.

International Criminal Court A permanent court that was conceived by the UN in 1998 and supported by many countries including Canada. What Canadian Interests are being served by the existence of the ICC?

Genocides of the 20 th Century Bosnia- Herzegovina ( ) – 200,000 deaths Rwanda (1994) – 800,000 deaths Pol Pot in Cambodia ( ) – 2,000,000 deaths Nazi Holocaust ( ) – 6,000,000 deaths Rape of Nanking ( ) – 300,000 deaths Stalin’s forced famine: ( ) – 7,000,000 deaths Armenians in Turkey ( ) – 1,500,000 deaths