Massacre at My Lai

Key Terms
1. Agentic State
2. Legitimacy of authority
1968 Vietnam War
Applying it:
1. Milgram's findings helped to explain the crime in the notorious war at My Lai.
2. As many as 504 unarmed civilians were killed by American soldiers.
3. Women were gang-raped
4. People were shot as they emerged from their homes, with their hands in the air.
5. Soldiers blew up buildings, burnt villages to the ground and killed all the animals.
6. Only one soldier faced charges and was found guilty.
  1. Lt William Calley
  2. Defence was the same as the Nazi officers at the Nuremberg trials; that he was only doing his duties by following orders.
Q: Explain the behaviour of the soldiers in terms of agentic state and legitimacy of authority.

Resource summary

	Created by Charlotte Dexter about 9 years ago