When Did The Practise Of Allowing An Army That Had Taken A City A Day Of Rape And Pillage?

[sandyRoe]

The fall of Berlin to the Red Army near the end of WW2, maybe? But apart from that?

[Old_Geezer]

Before time immemorial ?
It's happened as some armies felt no need to respect the enemy or locals or to deprive those who fought anything they wanted. Pillaging and burning being common too.

[Old_Geezer]

Did anyone ever put a time limit on it though ?
Must've got busy nearing midnight.

[Zacs-Master]

Is the word 'start' or the word 'end' missing from your question? As without it, it makes no sense.

[sandyRoe]

Not 'start' but 'end'.

[Zacs-Master]

What proof do you have that it has ended?

[Old_Geezer]

Has it ended ? Mercenary groups and rebel forces are not uncommonly accused of rape. If official national armies had individual incidents how many would get hushed up ? I don't know if countries signed up to banning it under UN charters, but I suspect many nations would have come to officially banning it in their own time anyway. Need to be seen upholding moral values and respect for humans.

[sandyRoe]

None. I'd guess there was anarchy after the fall of Saigon but don't remember reports of America troops misbehaving in Baghdad.

[murraymints]

I suspect where men in battle uniforms are...trouble is not far away ??

[Marshwarble]

And it goes beyond the army. Street gangs...Mafia....

[Bathsheba]

Minty,. I think Zacs is a bit nowty this morning, although I have noticed this trait in him before......;)

Baths
x x x

[Zacs-Master]

Not 'nowty' at all me dears. Just don't like vagueness. It's my Aspbergers.

[Bathsheba]

Oh sorry Zac,...didn't know you had a condition ;)

Baths
x x

[Old_Geezer]

I'm not keen on vagueness either as, when I spot it, it means I have to make assumptions; and that's uncomfortable. But it seems more & more I find I have missed any vagueness and made an assumption I didn't realise I'd made. Then comes the embarrassment of finding out I misinterpreted.

[Old_Geezer]

Possibly 1863 ?

https://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule93
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieber_Code

[andy-hughes]

It is a good psychological tool for creating an atmosphere of terror and submission for a victorious army to be allowed to rampage through captured territory.

Rape has only ever been about control and power, so it is a useful way of stamping authority on a defeated army and populace.

Destruction obviously fulfils the same role.

I imagine that it still goes on today in various wars around the world.

[sandyRoe]

I typed 'end' at the end of my question but somehow it didn't make it to the AB screen. I think my Hudl is on its last legs.

[Sqad]

10th century....the Vikings.......Kirk Douglas.

The spoils of war and the relief of pent up tension by raping the women of the losing side.

[jomifl]

It was an unwritten tradition that if a besieged city surrendered then the occupants were treated decently(ish). If the besiegers had to fight their way in and took heavy casualties then they compensated themselves. The French armies under Napoleon were particularly nasty which eventually led to their downfall as so much resentment accumulated in the countries that they occupied.

[Old_Geezer]

Technical gremlins eh ? They run rife on my tech. I have to proof read something a dozen times to ensure there are only a dozen missed changes remaining from that which I actually wrote. Technology comes infected with gremlins on leaving the factory.

[Peter Pedant]

when did the practise ...... what ?

this sounds like a question from Moleeworth's History exam

well you know I would come up with an off-the-wall reference
Grotius 1625 wrote the first book on international law and here he is on rape and pillage

http://lonang.com/library/reference/grotius-law-war-and-peace/gro-304/

I am not sure if he is for it
the Romans certainly were

As you well know the Victors dont commit war crimes and altho the Rape of Nanking ( 1937 250 000 dead ) was a war crime its erm sister atrocity the Rape of Berlin 1945 was NOT ( but is now considered to be one )

Is there more war crime around than there was then ?

No there are more tv cameras ......