Genocide has many different definitions that multiple people have decided to give it. Some wonder if killing needs to actually occur for it to be considered genocide. If the victims are simply moved away from their family and intentionally confined to quarters without say is that Genocide? With there being no “real” definition for genocide one thing is certain: it is one of the worst things that can possibly happen in the past or modern day world. The holocaust is often referred to the worst case of genocide in the world. This, however may be topped by the ultimate brutality that the Indians faced during the indian genocide. It seems there is not stop to the horrible activities victims most endure around the world. Genocide is perhaps the
Genocide develops in eight stages that are predictable, but yet preventable. It is a complex process that usually occurs in chronological order (Rummel). The crime involves any acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, such as killing members of the group, causing bodily harm to members, trying to prevent births within the group, and/or forcibly transferring children to another group (Rummel). Additionally, there are two research purposes of genocide. The first includes the definition as the intention to murder people because of their group membership, and the second includes any intentional government murder of unarmed and helpless people for whatever reason, which is another word for democide (Rummel). “As a crime, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (UHCG), defined genocide as the intention to destroy any type of group for any reason as such” (Rummel). In short, many different interpretations for the word genocide, but every explanation ends the same
In Rwanda during 1994 Genocide happened between the Hutus and Tutsis. Hutus and Tutsis had disagreements on who will have power which effected the whole population of Rwanda. This leads to the question why there is Genocide in Rwanda? Genocide happened by two clans who caused mass causalities. Others did little to help which caused Genocide to happen in Rwanda.
Webster's dictionary defines genocides as the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group. Genocide has existed for thousands of years, and while there are many examples of these horrific events, some of the most well known are the holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda 1994. The United States’ responses to these killings as well as the way in which they ended were similar, but the driving force behind each differed.
Genocide is an extremely broad subject with various different definitions. Genocide could be one or more leaders trying to get rid of a large group of people by killings or attacks, or it can be against a smaller group of people in a less violent manner. Genocide has been a very extreme problem in society and various reports of genocidal events have been recorded in history, but how does one go about finding the precise and accurate definition of a “genocide”? Genocidal acts are placed into different categories and are defined in different degrees. The Commission on Human Rights has set up seven treaties that describe acts of genocide. Regardless of committees’ attempts to limit or abolish acts of genocide, genocide was a very important
What is genocide you ask? Genocide is the deliberate killing of an astronomically immense group of people, especially those of a concrete ethnic group or nation.
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
“As defined in article 2 of the Convention of the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, genocide is any act with intent to liquidate a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group” (“Office of the UN...”1) . Genocide has been an issue around the world for several centuries, and sadly it continues to this day. There is one specific genocide that many historians study, the forced evacuation of the Chechens. Although this may be classified as a relocation, it was declared an act of genocide by the European Parliament in 2004 (Brauer and “Office of the UN…”).
In Ukraine, between the years of 1932 and 1933, approximately seven to ten million people died as a result of a widespread famine. This is historical fact and cannot be argued, with records to prove it, though the exact number of deaths is unclear. What can be argued, however, was whether this famine should be considered intentional murder and genocide committed by Joseph Stalin in an effort to destroy the Ukrainian people. In order for the Holodomor to be considered a genocide by the international community, it is necessary for it to meet the standards set out in the Geneva Convention in 1946. In this paper, the criteria for the Geneva Convention are set out, followed by a summary of actions taken by Stalin in Ukraine prior to the Holodomor, the facts of the Holodomor, followed by the argument for genocide and its counterargument, ending with the conclusion that the Holodomor should be considered a genocide by the international community. This discussion is important because the famine in 1932 has far reaching implications for how genocide is viewed currently and will be viewed in the future, as well as playing a role in the current conflict in Eastern Europe.
One very profound characteristic of the events that occur within genocide is how one group becomes the dominating leader over the group whom they are targeting. Most of the time, the group that is targeted is the group that inhabits the lowest people within that countries’ society. This explicit event occurs in both with the Aborigines in Australia and the Herero/Nama in South-West Africa. Both places endured a genocide that targeted the group of people within each society that the world believed would not survive unless someone intervened on the Aborigines and Herero/Nama 's’ behalf. However as time would tell, those whom believed they were improving these societies…eventually saw that they instead ruined the lives of those whom lived during these events.
In what way should people interpret how the process of genocide works when coming across a statement from Adolf Hitler (1939) saying, “My pact with the Poles was merely conceived of as a gaining of time. As for the rest gentleman, the fate of Russia will be exactly the same as I am now going through with the case of Poland. After Stalin’s death…we will break the Soviet Union. Then there will begin the dawn of the German rule of the earth” ("Poland Will Be Depopulated and Settled with Germans” document). Judging by the content of that statement, one may interpret that genocide works as a process to break down another country. To some extent, that is correct but one must learn that this process encompasses strategies in order to achieve the downfall of a country. For one thing, to understand how genocide works, one needs to know what that term means. Genocide is an intentional physical or cultural act of eliminating the population of a specific national, ethnical, racial or religious group (Kiernan). Moving forward, the process of genocide works as a cycle of manipulation and elimination to intentionally remove a certain group of people. This cycle of manipulation was applied towards targeted groups and those who enforced the platform of genocide. Influence was a force intended to manipulate how people think, as well as obedience. Targeted groups were influenced to believe their harsh conditions would eventually come to an end by obeying any given instruction. Also, those who
The crime of genocide is one of the most devastating human tragedies throughout the history. And the word genocide refers to an organised destruction to a specific group of people who belongs to the same culture, ethnic, racial, religious, or national group often in a war situation. Similar to mass killing, where anyone who is related to the particular group regardless their age, gender and ethnic background becomes the killing targets, genocide involves in more depth towards destroying people’s identity and it usually consists a fine thorough plan prearranged in order to demolish the unwanted group due to political reasons mostly. While the term genocide had only been created recently in 1943 by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-Jewish legal
In conclusion, there are a lot of excellent sources of information available. However, the book Genocide and Persecution: The Holocaust and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website are two of the most excellent sources of information that provide accurate and detailed material for those who wish to learn about the WWII and the Holocaust. It is of great importance to learn about the Holocaust history and about the mass killings that made the Holocaust a turning point in the history. Also, to ensure that no crimes are ever committed against humanity.
In 1988 Henry Huttenbach (18) said “Genocide is any act that put the existence of any group in jeopardy.” It is in my belief that this definition defines genocide to the best of its ability. Of course, it being so short it can be interpreted in several different ways, but this is my interpretation. I believe that “any group” and “jeopardy” are the most important words in the definition. They are the reason that the definition can be interpreted differently.
What is cultural genocide? Is it the destruction of a race, or the destruction of their history and religion. But to discuss this first we need to know what the concept of what “Cultural Genocide” is, it was made by a Jewish-Polish lawyer named Raphael Lawkins, as a component of genocide. One theory is that he made the definition of cultural genocide as: “the systematic destruction of racial, political, or cultural group”. But the reason why it’s, in theory, is because he made the word in reference of the “United Nations Bill of Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People” when he was working on it. Although because the word was scrapped and removed in the final draft and replaced with the word genocide, it ended with the precise definition of cultural genocide unclear and vague. Because of this, the word Ethnocide is used by Ethnologists instead of cultural genocide. But regardless this word has become so powerful and useful when relating it to the horrible historic events like the Nazis, vilifying and destroying Jewish culture, and Genghis Khan destroying the Baghdad house of wisdom, with the residential schools in Canada, that was meant to “Kill the Indian in the child”.
Genocide is a term that can be defined as a planned and systematic destruction of whole or parts of certain national, religious, race, ethnic, cultural or political group (Akhavan 21). Genocide is deliberated with a different set of actions for a purpose to destroy an essential foundation of life. Genocide is characterized with the massive killing of members of a group, causing mental or bodily injuries to a group of people, imposing mechanisms to prevent birth, removing particular group children and putting conditions of life in order to bring to an end existence of a particular group. Therefore, genocide is an illegal action and a crime recognized and punishable by international law (Charmy 35). For instance, Rwanda genocide is characterized by ethnic tensions within the country. Initially the definition of the term genocide as by genocide convection only comprised of racial, ethnic, national and religious groups. They argued that inclusion of other groups cannot strengthen but rather weakens it. This definition failed to recognize other groups such as political groups, economic and cultural groups that are essential elements of genocide. Genocide therefore, is generally considered the worst moral crime the ruling authority can commit against those it controls Naimark (2017).