Anthology: The Tragedy Of Genocide

The door slammed with a loud BANG. The stench of waste death and despair pulled over me. Why am I here? What did I do? Am I going to die? Scared out of my mind I yell "I want out" but it's like no one heard my cries for help. the door to my cell swung open. A young man walked in, he was tall with black hair and a long thick beard. he walks up and says "come with me he is ready for you." I stand up shaking.As I walk out the door the smell just gets worse it was like the camp was made out of dead bodies and waste. the door slams behind us. The whole time we walked not one word came out of his mouth. We stumbled upon a small room he opens the door shows me inside and points at one of the chairs. On the table, there was a small packet. I am startled

Genocide is one of the worst crimes against humanity and it still continues today. The definition of the word genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. Compared with war crimes and crimes against humanity, genocide is generally regarded as the most offensive crime. Unlike war, where the attack is general and the object is often the control of a geographical or political region. Genocide attacks go after an individual’s identity and the object is control, or complete elimination, of a group of people. The history of genocide in the 20th century includes the 1915 genocide of Armenians by

“How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don’t think” (Hitler, Mein Kampf). As time passed, there has been many times in history where a genocide has occurred. A genocide is a one-sided massacre from one party toward an ethnic or different group of people. As genocides occurred, questions such as “Why do people kill?” and “How can people allow these atrocities to occur?” are asked. There have been many theories made up as people researched the reason behind genocides. Throughout different centuries in history, genocides such as the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, and the Asian genocide, have occurred because of the negative psychological effects on the people caused by propaganda, corrupted leaders, and differences in ethnic groups.

In 1994, a tragedy occurred in Rwanda where millions of Tutsis’, the minority, were brutally murdered by the Hutu, the majority. This event is known as the Rwandan genocide and left many people wondering what could have caused this devastating event to occur. Over the years, many theories have surfaced and among those were the theories of Peter Uving. In both Why Did People Participate in Genocide? A Theoretically Informed Synthesis and The Condition of Structural Violence Peter Uvin seeks to explain why violence occurs in society. Nevertheless, the two articles are different in the sense that Why Did People Participate in Genocide? A Theoretically Informed Synthesis is primarily focused on the other theories which include political scientists,

In the past 150 years, tens of millions of men, women and children have lost their lives to ethnic cleansing or genocide. Although the definition is often scrutinized, according to Merriam Webster, "Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political or cultural group". The most notable event associated with the term is the Holocaust. Stated by Judah Gribets, Edward Greenstein and Regina Stein, "nearly six million Jews fell victim to genocide during the years of the Holocaust". Of This number, one million were children who were unable to take care of themselves. People's hopes and dreams for the future were stripped from them, and many families were ripped apart. Many of these people were tortured or raped

Hollie Nyseth Brehm’s article, “The Crime of Genocide”, digs deep into the violent conditions and acts that eventually cause genocides. To begin with, genocide refers to a deliberate or intentional act of committing an action that destroys the existence of an ethic, racial or religious group of

“At the beginning of the world,” said the Portuguese Jesuit Manuel de Nóbrega in 1559, “all was homicide.” Blood and Soil focuses on the six centuries since 1400, the period historians term “the modern era.” The main features of modern genocidal ideology emerged then, from combinations of religious or racial hatred with territorial expansionism and cults of antiquity and agriculture. This book charts the slow development of modern genocidal racism against a background of sectarian warfare, ancient models, and worldwide conquest of new territory with accompanying visions of its idealized cultivation. I used this book to further my knowledge on the three main genocides I am studying which are, the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, and the Rwandan Genocide. The chapter that were most useful to me were: “The Armenian Genocide: National Chauvinism in the Waning Ottoman Empire”, “Blut und Boden: Germany and Nazi Genocide”, and “From the Mekong to the Nile: Genocide in Cambodia and Rwanda”. These chapters provided insightful information on the causes of the genocides and explained the events of the three

Genocide is one of the evillest moral crimes any ruling authority such as a government can commit against its people and it happens more than we think. A general definition of Genocide is the intention to destroy or murder people because of their race, beliefs, or even political and economic status. As we have been taught in this course Raphael Lemkin, created the term ‘Genocide’ 1944. Lemkin combined the ancient Greek word ‘genos’ which means race and the Latin word ‘cide’ which translates to killing. There are many examples of genocide in the world but the most recognizable is that of the Holocaust and how the German powers that be sought and attempted to kill all Jews. A recent example is the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 where the assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana caused a violent reaction resulting in mass killings. In efforts to reduce Genocide, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (UNCG) was adopted by the United Nations in 1948 and was placed in force in 1951. On July 1, 2002 the International Criminal Court (ICC) came into force. The ICC not only accepted the UNCG’s definition of Genocide but expanded it to include crimes against humanity such as enslavement, deportation, torture, rape, enforced disappearance and apartheid. There have been many organizations created throughout the world to defend and prevent genocide and even communities, religions and even colleges are forming organizations and these are just some examples of how

“I believe the only time we call for intervention is when there is an ongoing genocide” – Bianca Jagger. Looking at the world’s response to the persecution of specific groups of people, the past shows us there is something wrong with how the world views genocide. Of course, any viable human conscience gawks at the news of the most recent minority being wiped out by a ruling power, but this tardy response does nothing to combat the atrocities. Currently, the only response the world implements comes after thousands, or even millions of people have already lost their lives. Truly combating genocide is a battle that must be fought before it ever begins. In partnership with the United States Holocaust Museum, the United States Institute for Peace has developed a program called the Genocide Prevention Task Force. This task force works closely with current government officials to develop a type of plan. A plan that has levels of structure that does more than just respond to future genocide. Spreading the word for prevention though the Genocide Prevention Task Force, will do more to combat genocide than any other approach.

"The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century: The Nazi Holocaust 1938-45." The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century: The Nazi Holocaust 1938-45. The History Place, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

“There aren’t just bad people that commit genocide; we are all capable of it. It’s our evolutionary history” (James Lovelock). According to the Oxford dictionary, genocide is defined as “the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group.” Although it may be hard to believe, genocides have occurred all over the world and all throughout time. There have been well documented genocides such as the Holocaust. Additionally, there have also been genocides that have barely received any media attention at all. One such example is the Rwandan genocide. The Rwandan genocide occurred in 1994 and was perpetrated by the Hutu ethnic group against the Tutsi ethnic group. Genocides have taken the lives of millions of people around the world. One of the key factors that allows an atrocious act such as genocide to even occur is obedience. Without obedience, genocide cannot take place. People must be obedient to be willing to kill millions of innocent people. For example, Adolf Hitler, the Chancellor of Nazi Germany, could not have murdered six million Jewish people without the support of his armies. Without the obedience of his constituents the Jewish prisoners would not have been murdered. Similarly, the Rwandan genocide was only possible because numerous Hutu civilians obeyed Hutu extremists when they were told to kill their Tutsi neighbors. Obedience is studied in many experiments and essays. Two prominent examples, Solomon Asch, a

Humans tend to feel morally compelled to help others in times of tragedy and chaos; however, there are limitations on the force of compassion. During recent and historical genocides, many outsiders’ universes of obligation have narrowed due to social and political factors, turning them into bystanders of ethnic crisis. Similarly, the world was unresponsive to the ethnic eradication of Tamils in Sri Lanka since 1983. For twenty-six years, tens of thousands of helpless Tamils suffered as human shields for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and were caught in the crossfire of a civil war between the extremist group and the national government. The collective desire for the United States, UN, and Sri Lankan government to maintain

The United States, as a leading world power that owes much of their foundation and rise to power to colonization, holds a responsibility to recognize and prevent acts of genocide. Outside countries cannot be excused for and must be held accountable for their actions during times of crisis, for their passive (and direct) endorsement of systematic annihilation as had happened during the Rwanda Genocide. Western countries especially cannot distance themselves from such issues, cannot claim “innocence” when it is their lack of action and indifference that allowed for such atrocities to occur.

Genocide is “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, ethnic, political, or cultural group”. In Rwanda for example, the Hutu-led government embraced a new program that called for the country’s Hutu people to murder anyone that was a Tutsi (Gourevitch, 6). This new policy of one ethnic group (Hutu) that was called upon to murder another ethnic group (Tutsi) occurred during April through June of 1994 and resulted in the genocide of approximately 800,000 innocent people that even included women and children of all ages. In this paper I will first analyze the origins/historical context regarding the discontent amongst the Hutu and Tutsi people as well as the historical context as to why major players in the international

Genocide, a dire event, has been recurring time and time again throughout history. In the past, there was the Holocaust, where Hitler exterminated over six million Jews based on his anti-semitic views. Elie Wiesel, a Jewish author, has become a very influential man in educating the world of the true events of the Holocaust due to his involvement in the disaster. Presently, a genocide is occurring in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, in which according to Cheryl Goldmark, “a systematic slaughter of non-Arab residents at the the hands of Arab militiamen called Janjaweed” has been taking place since 2003. (1) Not only is genocide a tragic historical event, it also continuously occurs today.