The Nanjing Massacre: The socio-psychological effects

Abstract

Lianhong discusses the socio-psychological effects of the Nanjing massacre and how they revisit the horrors of the air raids that preceded the actual attack on Nanjing and the reign of terror that continued after the seizure of the city. The unbelievable cruelty of the Japanese soldiers and the constant threats of death reduced the victims to a state of total passivity and paralysis to the extent that they only saw inevitable death. The only ray of hope that the people of Nanjing had at the time was the handful of foreigners that set up the International Safety Zone in the city.