Genocide in the 20th Century

Genocide

• The systematic and purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious, or cultural group.

Elements leading to the Holocaust

• Totalitarianism combined with nationalism

• History of anti-Semitism

• Defeat in WWI and economic depression blamed on German Jews

Elements leading to the Holocaust

• Hitler’s belief in the master race

• Final solution-Extermination camps, gas chambers

• The children in this picture were being used for medical experiments.

Armenian Genocide

• Location: Asia Minor (Turkey)

• 1915-1923• 2 million Armenians

killed through forced deportation and massacres by Turks

Background: Armenian Holocaust

• Armenians fought with Russia during WWI, Ottoman Empire fought with Germany

• Armenians told they were being relocated for “their own good”

• Controversy: To this day, Turkey denies that the Armenian genocide occurred, said there was a civil war.

• Armenians force marched- 75% perished on march-others were thrown off cliffs, burned alive, or drown in rivers.

Genocide in the Soviet Union

• Approved by Stalin• 1930’s and 1940’s• Soviet Union• Targeted peasants,

government and military leaders, and members of the elite

“The Great Purge” (Soviet Union)

• 20 million died in labor camps of famine or in large scale executions

• Widespread denunciations of family and friends and confessions were elicited through torture

Cambodian Genocide

• Led by Pol Pot

• 1975-1979

• 2,000,000 deaths

• Used mass starvation in the “killing fields” (targets: educated, artists, monks, former govt. officials, and minorities)

• Diet=1 tin of rice (180 grams) per person every 2 days.

• Torture included pulling out fingernails, peeling off skin, etc.

Cambodian Genocide Background

• Pol Pot led the Khmer Rouge (an armed resistance movement)

• Inspired by communism and Mao ZeDong

• Claimed he was “purifying” society by removing capitalism, western culture, city life, and all western influences.

• Cambodia was sealed off from outside world- $forbidden

• Pol Pot deposed by Vietnam in 1979, he continued to lead resistance for next 17 years.

• Died by heart attack before he could be tried for war crimes

Genocide in Rwanda

• Location-Rwanda (in Africa)

• Led by the Hutus against the Tutsis

• Roots in European colonialism

• 1994 began April 6th and lasted 100 days

• Estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed

Background: Rwanda

• April 6, 1994: Rwandan Hutu President Habyarimana killed when his plane was shot down

• Organized Hutus claimed he was killed by the Tutsis and launched a campaign of terror armed with machetes

• 1/10 of Rwanda’s population died in 10 days in April

• US hesitated to act/ UN reduced # of troops

• July-Tutsi led rebel movement RPF captures Rwanda’s capital: Kigali

• July- 2 million Hutus fled to Zaire, now the DRC

Genocide in former Yugoslavia

• Location: Bosnia-Herzegovina

• 1992-1995

• 200,000 deaths

• Comprised of three main ethnic groups:

• Serbs (Orthodox Christians)

• Croats (Catholics)

• Muslims

• Muslims and Croats were massacred by Bosnian Serbs

Background: Bosnia

• Serbs led by Slobodan Milosevic and Karadzic

• Bosnian Muslims were put into concentration camps, gunned down and females were raped

• Serbs referred to their policy as “Ethnic Cleansing”

• UN was not allowed to intervene, watched atrocities

• One day in 1993, 8,000 Muslims were executed by Serbs at a UN Safe Haven

• US led a NATO supported bombing raid

• Nov. 1, 1995 Peace talks were attended by Milosevic and others

Prevention of Genocide

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was issued in 1948 to protect the “inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family…”