Genocide: The Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, the Rwandan Genocide

Question 1

Genocide

Answer 1

The deliberate persecution of a group of people

Question 2

Causes of genocide

Answer 2

Performed by people with a certain bias towards others. They believe they have superiority over these groups.

Question 3

Examples of genocide

Answer 3

Ethnic groups, religious groups, language, and political ideology/lifestyle

Question 4

Ethnic groups

Answer 4

Native Americans (United States); Africans (United States); Armenians (Turks); Tutsis (Hutus)

Question 5

Religious groups

Answer 5

Jews (The Holocaust); Christians (Ancient Rome); Muslims (Palestine)

Question 6

Language

Answer 6

Catalan (Spain); Basque (Spain); Gaelic (Great Britain)

Question 7

Political ideology/lifestyle

Answer 7

LGBTQ+ (Middle East/Holocaust); Communists (Holocaust)

Question 8

How did genocide enter our vocabulary?

Answer 8

Publicity from the Nuremburg Trials, the amount of Jews and others killed in the Holocaust, and the status of Jews in society prior to the Holocaust brought much attention. When the United Nations form, the word “genocide” is created.

Question 9

Holocaust

Answer 9

Hebrew word for slaughter or sacrifice

Question 10

Shoah

Answer 10

The word Jews use to describe the Holocaust

Question 11

Jews in Germany before the Holocaust

Answer 11

Make up 1-2% of the population; most are bankers, merchants, and entertainers in the middle to upper middle class.

Question 12

Germany before Hitler

Answer 12

Known as the Weimar Republic; suffered through hyper inflation; created modern art/culture

Question 13

Hyper inflation

Answer 13

When the prices of goods and services rise uncontrollably over a defined period of time. This usually occurs from a very quick growth in money supply

Question 14

Hitler’s rise to power

Answer 14

Hitler creates the National Socialist Society (Nazis); Hitler goes to jail and writes about his struggles in Mein Kampf (My Struggles), describes the Final Solution (extermination of all Jews)

Question 15

The Nuremburg Laws

Answer 15

Segregates Jews from society: Jews are sent to ghettos, and sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews are illegal

Question 16

Three methods of persecution and killing

Answer 16

Firing squads; work camps; concertation camps

Question 17

Firing squads

Answer 17

One of the earliest methods of killing, but was deemed inefficient

Question 18

Work camps

Answer 18

Death from being overworked and disease

Question 19

Concertation camps

Answer 19

Evaluated upon arrival: one side went to the left, while one side went to the right. One of the sides was gassed

Question 20

Gas chambers

Answer 20

Gassed Jews with poisonous gas (zyklon B) who were deemed unable to work

Question 21

Doctor Mengele

Answer 21

Experimented on humans to find ways to mass kill Jews

Question 22

6 million “others”

Answer 22

Roma, LGBTQ+, Slavs, physically/mentally disabled

Question 23

Who are Armenians?

Answer 23

Live in the Caucus region, Armenia, and some parts of Turkey; vast majority are Christian (Armenian Apostolic Church)

Question 24

The Ottoman Empire

Answer 24

Muslim empire that rose to power in 1453 after conquering the eastern Roman Empire; allowed for freedom of religion, but treated those of different religions as 2nd-class citizens
Territories in Middle East, Northern Africa and eastern Europe

Question 25

Age of Imperialism

Answer 25

European nations begin to conquer countries in Africa and Asia, which threaten Ottoman power and territories

Question 26

Ottoman Empire's nationalism

Answer 26

Begin to promote Turkish/Islamic culture and values; Armenians become more nationalistic and protest; Ottomans kill about 300,000 protestors

Question 27

The Young Turks

Answer 27

Started a rebellion in 1908; Promised to restore the constitution and create equal rights for all citizens; Armenians support the Young Turks, leading them into power in 1913; however, they broke their promises (bait and switch)

Question 28

Russia vs. the Ottoman Empire

Answer 28

(World War 1 era) Russians are trying to take over Eastern Anatolia, where Armenians live; the Ottomans fear there will be a Russian-Armenian coalition (the enemy of my enemy is my friend; Russia is Christian)

Question 29

Two methods of persecution and killing

Answer 29

Killing by gunfire; sending to the desert

Question 30

Killing by gunfire

Answer 30

Men were killed by this method: it reduced the population, and prevented future generations from being born

Question 31

Sent to the desert

Answer 31

Women and children were killed by this method: died of dehydration, starvation and exhaustion due to no resources

Question 32

Reactions to the Armenian Genocide

Answer 32

Many countries believed helping the Armenians would be seen as an act of war against the Turks

Question 33

Modern day denial

Answer 33

Turkey refuses to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide occurred: it happened during a time of war, the victims were deemed a threat, and they have not been pressed to admit it

Question 34

Rwanda

Answer 34

A French Catholic country located in central Africa: colonized by Germany in the 1800s, however, in 1916, Belgium took over; became independent in 1962

Question 35

Population of Rwanda

Answer 35

84% Hutu; 15% Tutsi; 1% Twa

Question 36

Hutu

Answer 36

Agricultural, worked with crops

Question 37

Tutsis

Answer 37

Worked with cattle

Question 38

Twa

Answer 38

Are pygmies (shorter than average) due to malnutrition

Question 39

Belgian perspective on Rwanda

Answer 39

Tutsis were considered the superior group: were more wealthier due to how profitable cattle were, were taller and lighter-skinned, and more enthusiastic about being Catholic; Belgians governed through Tutsi kings and identify Rwandans' ethnicities through ID cards

Question 40

Rwandan Independence

Answer 40

Became independent in 1962: this led to several ethnic tensions, and many Tutsis being driven out of Rwanda and into Uganda and Burundi

Question 41

Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)

Answer 41

Comprised of Tutsis in Uganda and Burundi who invaded Rwanda in the 1990s: this leads to a civil war from 1990-1993, which is ended through the Arusha Accords

Question 42

Rwandan Genocide

Answer 42

The accords are not upheld, and a genocide that lasts 100 days begins in 1994, with an estimated 700,000-800,000 victims (Tutsis): Hutus committed the genocide, as they believed it was unfair that a minority group ran the country; propaganda is spread through the radio, ordering Hutus to kill Tutsis; child soldiers are used as ruses to steal UN weapons and as pawns for killing

Question 43

Romeo Dallaire

Answer 43

A UN peace-keeping solder who is sent to Rwanda because he is French-Canadian: after seeing the genocide first hand, he exposes the atrocities to world leaders and urges them to help

Question 44

Reaction to the Rwandan Genocide

Answer 44

USA suffered from Somalia Syndrome (sending thoughts and prayers instead of helping) due to an incident in Somalia after trying to intervene in conflict (death of 18 US soldiers)