Intro Test Flashcards
Origin of the word “Genocide
Greek word Geno (race, tribe) w/ Latin word Cide (killing)
Who created the term genocide
Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin
Why was the term genocide created
describe Nazi policies of systematic murder & execution
UN Convention’s definition of Genocide
“acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such.”
What makes genocide and crimes agaisnt humantiy differernt
Crimes against humanity focuses on the killing of large numbers of individuals. The systematic, mass killing of a very large number of individuals
Genocide focuses not on the killing of individuals, but on the destruction of groups.
Definition of Crimes Against Humanity
a deliberate act, typically as part of a systematic campaign, that causes human suffering or death on a large scale.
Definition of War Crimes
an action carried out during the conduct of a war that violates accepted international rules of war.
like rape or torture during war
4 Main Types of Genocide
Ideological Genocide
Retributive Genocide
Developmental Genocide
Despotic Genocide
Ideological Genocide
- An effort to achieve a social structure in which all members of society are alike or hold the same beliefs
Retributive Genocide
- When one group dominates another group and fears its rebellion or when the other group actually rebels
Developmental Genocide
- Undertaken for economic gain i.e. building, mining, expansion of territory, access to resources, etc.
Despotic Genocide
Carried out by dictators or powerful leaders and intended to spread terror among real or potential enemies
Classicide
- The intended mass killing of entire social classes
Starvtion of peasents
Democide
the murder of any person or people by a government
Ecocide
- The willful destruction of the natural environment and ecosystems through pollution, famine, deforestation, etc.
Eliticide
- The destruction of members of the socioeconomic elite of a targeted group – political leaders, military officers, religious leaders, cultural/intellectual figures
Ethnocide
- Destroying the culture of a group without necessarily killing members
prohibition of the use of a mother tongue, distortion of history, and discrimination in access to cultural resources.
Femicide/Feminicide
- The systematic murder of females for being female
Fratricide
- The killing of opposing political enemies within political (notably communist) movements
Gendercide
- The selective destruction of the male or female component of a group, or of sexual minorities (i.e. homosexuals)
Infanticide
- The intentional killing of babies for reasons related to social policies, elimination of breeding possibilities, and religious influence.
Judeocide
- The specific reference to the Nazi extermination of European Jews
Linguicide
- The destruction and displacement of languages to weaken and eliminate the power and identity of a culture
Memoricide
- The attempt to completely eliminate the very memory of a group – its language, culture, influence, etc.
Omnicide
- The complete elimination of humankind and other life forms
Politicide
- The mass killing carried out by a specific political party or an affiliation of it.
Poorcide
- The destruction of the poor through structural and cyclical poverty.
Gregory H. Stanton
is the founding president and chairman of Genocide Watch.
the 8 Stages of Genocide
Classification
Symbolization
Dehumanization
Organization
Polarization
Preparation
Extermination
Denial
Classification
All cultures have categories to distinguish people into “us and them” by ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality:
Symbolization
We give names or other symbols to the classifications.
When combined with hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwilling members of pariah groups:
Classification and symbolization are universally human and do not necessarily result in genocide unless they lead to the next stage, dehumanization.
Dehumanization
One group denies the humanity of the other group. Members of it are equated with animals, vermin, insects or diseases.
Organization
Genocide is always organized, usually by the state, often using militias to provide deniability of state responsibility (the Janjaweed in Darfur.)
Polarization
Extremists drive the groups apart. Hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda.
information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
Preparation
They are often segregated into ghettoes, deported into concentration camps, or confined to a famine-struck region and starved.
At this stage, a Genocide Emergency must be declared.
Victims are identified and separated out because of their ethnic or religious identity.
Extermination
It is “extermination” to the killers because they do not believe their victims to be fully human.
Denial
The perpetrators of genocide dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies, try to cover up the evidence and intimidate the witnesses. They deny that they committed any crimes, and often blame what happened on the victims.
Motive
The reason(s) or excuse(s) used to justify genocidal activity
* Specific motive not required
-Feelings of racial, cultural, religious, or ethnic superiority
-* Desire for territorial expansion
-* Revenge against a group for previous conflicts
Intent
- Intent: The planned destruction or execution of a group or groups
- Specific Intent is required!
How intent can be proven:
# of victims selected only by membership of specific group - Commission/approval of acts to systematically destroy group(s)
- Repetition of destructive or discriminatory acts
