Genocide What is Genocide n Etymology Latin geno

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Genocide

Genocide

What is Genocide? n Etymology: – Latin geno (via Greek genos)= race, kind –

What is Genocide? n Etymology: – Latin geno (via Greek genos)= race, kind – French cide (via Latin cida) = to cut or kill n Coined by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish lawyer of Jewish descent, who pressured the League of Nations* to treat mass murder committed “out of hatred towards a racial, religious or social collectivity” as an international crime. * The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization created after WWI and tasked with ensuring world peace. It was replaced by the United Nations in 1945 and officially disbanded in 1946.

United Nations Definition of Genocide (1948) n The term genocide means committing certain acts

United Nations Definition of Genocide (1948) n The term genocide means committing certain acts with the intent to systematically destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. n The definition is intentionally narrow because Soviet diplomats demanded social, economic, and political groups be excluded so they could avoid being prosecuted for the murders of several social, political, and economic leaders. n Today, most people associate genocide with the mass murder of an ethnic or racial group. The UN definition remains controversial because of its exclusion of certain groups, and countries continue to argue over whether or certain historical events should be considered genocides.

“Certain Acts” of Genocide n Acts of genocide include, but are not limited to:

“Certain Acts” of Genocide n Acts of genocide include, but are not limited to: – – – Killing members of specific national, ethnic, racial or religious group Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of a specific national, ethnic, racial or religious group Deliberately creating life conditions that cause the physical destruction of a group, in whole or in part Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Why Should I Learn about Genocide—and Why in ELA? To understand the root causes

Why Should I Learn about Genocide—and Why in ELA? To understand the root causes of genocide n To prevent it from happening again n If not you, then who? n n Research on genocide encompasses… – – n Reading Writing Media Presentation – …the cornerstones of English/Language Arts.

A word about studying this topic… n Genocide has been described as the “heart

A word about studying this topic… n Genocide has been described as the “heart of darkness. ” Hundreds of millions of people have died in genocides. n The French political scientist Jacques Sémelin asks, “Who is ever really prepared for the shock of tales of cruelty in all their naked horror? ” – Expect to feel a range of emotions, including, sadness, shock, anger, and horror while you do your research. If it becomes overwhelming, please talk to your teacher immediately. n If you are unable to handle the research or classroom discussions without the level of sensitivity and maturity required by the topic, you will be removed and given an alternative assignment.

Genocides of the 20 th Century Genocide Year # Murdered 1. Cultural Revolution/Chinese famine

Genocides of the 20 th Century Genocide Year # Murdered 1. Cultural Revolution/Chinese famine (Mao Zedong) 1959 -1961 43 million 2. Holocaust 1933 -45 8 million 3. Ukranian (Holodomor) 1932 -33 7 -10 million 4. Cambodian 1975 -79 1. 5 -2 million 5. Armenian 1915 -23 1. 5 million 6. Rwanda 1994 800, 000 7. Rape of Nanking 1937 -38 340, 000 8. Bosnian 1992 -1995 300, 000 9. Herero 1904 -07 100, 000 Total Dead: 66, 040, 000

Genocide in the 21 st Century

Genocide in the 21 st Century

Chinese Famine/The Great Leap Forward (1959 -1961) n Mao Zedong (Tse-Tung) was a Chinese

Chinese Famine/The Great Leap Forward (1959 -1961) n Mao Zedong (Tse-Tung) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and the founder of the People’s Republic of China (1949) n Under his leadership, the Communist party destroyed the traditional Chinese social, cultural, and political systems. n Zedong’s policy of collectivization (also used by Joseph Stalin during the Ukranian genocide), caused a famine that resulted in an estimated 27, 000 people starving to death. n His legacy is controversial because he also improved health care, raised the status of women, increased literacy, and provided universal housing.

The Holocaust (1933 -1945) n Adolf Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s economic distress

The Holocaust (1933 -1945) n Adolf Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s economic distress in order to justify the elimination of all the Jews in Europe. n He began by using propaganda, boycotting Jewish businesses, and expelling Jews from prominent positions. He then stripped them of their properties and moved them into ghettos. Finally, he displaced them to concentration camps, where he systematically murdered them. n Other groups were targeted as well; however, the largest number of deaths was within the Jewish population (approximately 6, 000).

Great Famine of 1932 -33 (Ukrainian Genocide) n Joseph Stalin, the leader of the

Great Famine of 1932 -33 (Ukrainian Genocide) n Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, imposed a policy of collectivization as a way to ensure total dependence of his citizens on the government. n He sold all of the crops grown in the Ukraine to foreign markets so he could fund his Five Year Plan (a program for economic growth).

Ukrainian Genocide (con’t) The law stated that no crops could be consumed by citizens

Ukrainian Genocide (con’t) The law stated that no crops could be consumed by citizens until the government quota was met. Citizens resisted by refusing to work, leaving the crops to rot in the fields. n Mothers sometimes tossed their emaciated children into trains headed toward the city in hopes that someone would feed them. n n Others killed and cooked rats, dogs, cats, frogs, and birds; some resorted to cannibalism and ate their children. n Over the course of one year, 25, 000 people died every single day (approximately 10, 000 total). n Ironically, this area of Europe is known as “The Breadbasket of Europe. ”

Cambodian Genocide (1975 -1979) n Cambodian leader Pol Pot attempted to form a utopian

Cambodian Genocide (1975 -1979) n Cambodian leader Pol Pot attempted to form a utopian Communist peasant farming society. Citizens initially welcomed his leadership because the withdrawal of U. S. troops from the region following the end of the Vietnam War had left the country economically and politically unstable.

Cambodian Genocide (con’t) n Inspired by Zedong’s cultural revolution in China, Pol Pot tried

Cambodian Genocide (con’t) n Inspired by Zedong’s cultural revolution in China, Pol Pot tried to “purify” Cambodia by eliminating any trace of Western culture, capitalism, city life, religion, and all foreign influences. n City dwellers were relocated to farmland, where Pol Pot forced them to work 16 hours a day. They received one tin of rice every two days. n His plan was enforced by the Khmer Rouge (Red Army), who were eager to kill anyone who broke the rules; thus, the farmland became knows as “the killing fields. ” Two million perished.

Armenian Genocide (1915 -1923)

Armenian Genocide (1915 -1923)

Armenian Genocide (con’t) n In 1975, the Ottoman government arrested over 250 Armenian intellectuals

Armenian Genocide (con’t) n In 1975, the Ottoman government arrested over 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders. n Remaining Armenians citizens were then uprooted from their homes and forced to march for hundreds of miles without food or water, to Syria. Along the way, the Ottoman army raped, tortured, and mutilated the Armenian citizens. n Over half of the Armenian population was killed (approximately 1, 500, 000). n Turkey still refused to acknowledge it as a genocide and the exact reason for the genocide is debated.

Rwandan Genocide (1994) n Rwanda one of the smallest countries in Africa, with a

Rwandan Genocide (1994) n Rwanda one of the smallest countries in Africa, with a population of just seven million. n It is comprised of two main ethnic groups, the Tutsi (minority) and Hutu (majority) n Tutsis, even though the minority population, have historically dominated the Hutus.

Rwandan Genocide (con’t) n After Rwanda became independent from Belgium in 1962, the Hutus

Rwandan Genocide (con’t) n After Rwanda became independent from Belgium in 1962, the Hutus took control and began to oppress the Tutsis. They were resentful of the special treatment enjoyed by the Tutsis under the Belgium government, who considered the Tutsis to be superior to the Hutu. n Tensions built over the next 30 years as the Hutus blamed the Tutsis for many of the countries problems. n In 1993, after months of negotiation, a peace accord was signed between the two groups. However, a year later, the Hutu president’s plane was shot down. No one knows if the president was killed by the Tutsis or rebel Hutus, but the Tutsis were blamed for it, and within hours, Hutus began massacring the Tutsis.

Rwandan Genocide (con’t) n The Hutus took control of the radio airwaves and began

Rwandan Genocide (con’t) n The Hutus took control of the radio airwaves and began to spread propaganda against the Tutsis, referring to them repeatedly as “cockroaches” that needed to be “exterminated. ” n The Hutus used machetes almost exclusively in their massacres. They forced Hutus to kill their Tutsi neighbors, and made Tutsis kill their own family members. n The genocide lasted only 100 days, but resulted in over 800, 000 dead.

Rape of Nanking Genocide (1937 -1938) n In December, 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army

Rape of Nanking Genocide (1937 -1938) n In December, 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army marched into Nanking, China and murdered 300, 000 of the 600, 000 citizens. n The attack was revenge for an earlier battle that took the Japanese longer than expected to win. Upset by the Chinese resistance, the Japanese attacked Nanking, burned the city, raped women and girls, drugged the citizens, and murdered relentlessly for 6 weeks. n The Chinese army surrendered quickly, but surrender was considered to be cowardice and a violation of the military code of honor to the Japanese. Repulsed by this, the Japanese viewed the Chinese as unworthy of life and continued the massacre.

Bosnian Genocide/Ethnic Cleansing of Bosnia (1992 -1995) n During the 1980 s, nationalism grew

Bosnian Genocide/Ethnic Cleansing of Bosnia (1992 -1995) n During the 1980 s, nationalism grew in several countries that together formed Yugoslavia, threatening to split it apart. The rise of Serbian leader Slobadan Milosevic helped cement growing discontent between the Serbs and Bosnians, two ethnic groups in the region. n Shortly after Bosnia-Herzegovina declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, Milosevic attacked the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, in an attempt to win control of the new country.

Ethnic Cleansing continued n The Serbians (Orthodox Christians) forcibly expelled the Bosnian Muslims from

Ethnic Cleansing continued n The Serbians (Orthodox Christians) forcibly expelled the Bosnian Muslims from the region. Men were deported to concentration camps, civilians were killed in mass shootings, and women were raped. n The genocide was referred to as an “ethnic cleansing” because the goal was to remove the Muslims from the area— not to annihilate them. n However, over 200, 000 Muslims were systematically murdered. Twenty thousand are still missing and over 2 million were displaced. n Milosevic was charged and put on trial for the genocide, but died of a heart attack while in prison; thus, no verdict was reached.

Herero Genocide (1904 -1907) n The Herero were herdsman who migrated to the region

Herero Genocide (1904 -1907) n The Herero were herdsman who migrated to the region currently known as Namibia. n The Germans annexed the region, effectively placing the Herero under German control. n The Herero rebelled by attacking German farmers.

Herero Genocide (con’t) n In response to the rebellion, German troops forced many of

Herero Genocide (con’t) n In response to the rebellion, German troops forced many of the Herero to retreat to the desert, where most of them died of thirst. Those who stayed were forced to concentration camps where they perished from inhumane conditions. Approximately 100, 000 Herero died. n The Herero genocide (in particular, the German’s use of concentration camps) is thought by some to have inspired Hitler’s genocide against the Jews. n For years, the German government refused to acknowledge the genocide. They finally admitted to it in 2004.

Darfur (2003 -present) n Darfur is a region in Sudan, Africa

Darfur (2003 -present) n Darfur is a region in Sudan, Africa

Darfur (con’t) n The ongoing conflict in Darfur centers around the belief that the

Darfur (con’t) n The ongoing conflict in Darfur centers around the belief that the Sudanese government is favoring Sudanese Arabs and oppressing non-Arab Sudanese people. n On one side of the conflict are two rebel groups: the Sudan Liberation Army Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement. On the other side are the Sudanese government and the janjaweed, a militia group of Sudanese Arabs. n In response to the rebel groups’ complaints, the Sudanese government sent the janjaweed to attack hundreds of villages, torching houses, stealing cattle, destroying crops, and raping and killing villagers. n Thus far, the genocide has claimed over 400, 000 lives, displaced over 2, 500, 000 people, and made 4. 5 million people dependent on humanitarian aid to survive.

The World is Watching (but not really doing anything about it) n The worldwide

The World is Watching (but not really doing anything about it) n The worldwide response to the genocides of the 20 th century has been largely to ignore and/or deny their existence. Why? – Political, economical, or cultural interests (or lack of interest) in the regions affected (e. g. , Nanking – the world was focused on Hitler) – Disbelief over the media reports of what is happening (e. g. , Nanking) or belief of false media reports (e. g. , The Great Famine) – Acknowledging a genocide implies a moral obligation to get involved.

What the World Does Do n Send in United Nations peacekeepers – Set up

What the World Does Do n Send in United Nations peacekeepers – Set up safe zones (e. g. , Nanking) – Distribute food and medicine (e. g. , Bosnia) n Impose sanctions (control imports, humanitarian aid, etc. ) n Military intervention n Pledge monetary support

The Problem is… n Violence escalates quickly and peacekeepers are often forced to flee

The Problem is… n Violence escalates quickly and peacekeepers are often forced to flee (if they are allowed into the country to begin with). n Monetary pledges rarely result in actual support. n Military intervention is typically triggered by something other than the genocide itself. n Some countries send support the genocide by sending arms or money. n The Bottom Line: If countries acknowledge a genocide, then they are no longer able to remain passive bystanders to the atrocities. They must act to stop them. Quite simply, most of the time, other countries just don’t want to get involved.

Controversial Genocides n Transatlantic Slave Trade (African Holocaust, 16 th-19 th centuries) n Native

Controversial Genocides n Transatlantic Slave Trade (African Holocaust, 16 th-19 th centuries) n Native American (European colonization of the Americas, 1492 -1900) n Great Irish Famine (1845 -1852) n Greek Genocide (Ottoman Empire, 1914 -1923) n Expulsion of Germans after World War II

The Transatlantic Slave Trade n Also referred to as the Middle Passage n Occurred

The Transatlantic Slave Trade n Also referred to as the Middle Passage n Occurred mid 1400 s and late 1800 s, lasted around 400 years n Europeans and their descendants in the Americas stole millions of African men, women, and children; brought them to the Americas; and enslaved them or traded them for goods. n At least 10 million are thought to have perished, although the highest estimate is around 100 million

Native American- Trail of Tears/Indian Removal n Around 1607, England’s Jamestown colonists arrived to

Native American- Trail of Tears/Indian Removal n Around 1607, England’s Jamestown colonists arrived to “settle” the area even though it was already populated. n Beginning in 1830, the United States removed all native people east of the Mississippi River and marched them hundreds of miles west through harsh conditions. Many Native Americans died on these forced marches. n Thousands of others were killed by the settlers or the diseases they brought. n Within 100 years, the Europeans had, directly or indirectly, killed 50 to 80 percent of the Native population.

Great Irish Famine n The Great Famine was a period of mass starvation, disease,

Great Irish Famine n The Great Famine was a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration between 1845 and 1852. n Approximately one million people died of starvation and another one million were forced to emigrate from Ireland to survive. n Although technically the famine occurred because the disease potato blight struck Ireland’s potato crop, there is debate that the famine would have occurred if not for other political, social, and economic factors.

Greek Genocide n During World War I and its aftermath, the Ottoman Empire systematically

Greek Genocide n During World War I and its aftermath, the Ottoman Empire systematically killed approximately two million members of its Greek population. n The genocide was triggered by the belief that the Greeks were sympathetic to the enemies of the Ottoman Empire. n Tactics used to exterminate the Greeks included massacres, forced deportations, death marches, arbitrary executions, and destruction of Christian Orthodox cultural, historical and religious monuments.

Expulsion of Germans after WW II n Following the horror of the Holocaust and

Expulsion of Germans after WW II n Following the horror of the Holocaust and WW II, approximately 14 million Germans were forced to leave Germany. n Approximately two million died from famine, disease, or violence. Thousands of others were sent to internment and labor camps, where many perished. n Similar to Bosnia, the acts are viewed as an ethnic cleansing because the goals was not to exterminate the Germans, only to remove them from the region.

Genocides of the 20 th Century http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=l. CLaypfm. Hng

Genocides of the 20 th Century http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=l. CLaypfm. Hng