History Class 357
Women became rape victims in every war in history. War time rape is a common behavior of most soldiers. Raping to enemy women became a reward for winner solders. It gives a satisfaction of revenge of a soldiers. This unwritten rules have been practice for thousands of years. Women always been the victim of man’s war. There are three main reasons soldiers rape to women in an occupied area. First, it depends on a cultural and social base, Second, leadership and discipline, and finally, education of occupied force.
Cultural elements in a society identify a nations characteristic; which can overwrite by individual’s desire base on morality. However, few individual will always be exception base on psychological and moral reasons. After ww2 Russia occupied East side of German and Europe did West side. During east German occupation by Russia, one out of five German women get rape multiple time by Russian soldiers. German women were treated as an object of sex. Their rape activity was so violent that most of the German women did not talk about that. Few of rape victim German women finally brought this issue after many years of occupation by Russia. Marie Neumann’s writing “Where in the hands of mob, not solders, and they’re all drunk out of their minds” was such as witness of German women rape victim. She and her sister were gang raped multiple time by Russian soldiers. At least 15 million women who either lived in the Soviet Union zone or were expelled from the eastern provinces. The scale of rape is suggested by the fact that about two million women had illegal abortions every year between 1945 and 1948[1]. So, this type of behaviors by Russian solder received a bad impression by world.
Leadership and Discipline can play a big role to win the war among solders. During the occupation of East side of Germany, systematic rape against German women by Russian soldiers was an example of failed leadership of Russia. They could win the war, but they couldn’t win their heat of German people. Under Stalin, the Soviet Union was transformed from a peasant society into an industrial and military superpower. However, he ruled by terror, and millions of his own citizens died during his brutal reign[2]. So, what good world can expect from that king of leadership?
Education create the consciousness of human. During ww2 most of the Russian soldiers were poorly educated[3]; however, officer was educated enough to understand morality. According to writer Marie Neumann, one Russian officer who saved her life while some solders were about to execute.
[1] http://rense.com/general19/redarmy.htm
[2] http://www.history.com/topics/joseph-stalin
[3] http://www.au.af.mil/au/afri/aspj/airchronicles/aureview/1978/nov-dec/head.html
kazih 