Ideologies of Racial Superiority & Purity: Germany, Japan, and Mass Murder in World War II

Though there were differences between Germany’s effort to wipe out Jews (and others) and Japan’s massacres, there was a common ideological basis for these outrages. What lay behind Nazi ideology and Japan’s aggressive militarism, and why were these so vicious? Daniel Chirot, Herbert J. Ellison Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies at the University of Washington, compares the ideologies underlying this violence, as well as looking at other genocides of the 20th century, to show why we cannot rule out the possibility of this kind of violence occurring again. This talk is part of the fall 2020 weekly lecture series "Lessons (Not) Learned from the Holocaust," made possible through the generosity of Steven Baral. Comment Policy: The Stroum Center for Jewish Studies believes that comments are a valuable source of dialogue and wants to include your thoughts as part of the conversation. To create a welcoming space for all, we publish comments that are respectful and relevant to the conversation.