Semester 1 Study Set Flashcards
Genocide
- The deliberate persecution of a group of people
- Can involve killing or forced migration
The origins of genocide
1940s: World War II & the Holocaust:
- Publicity (Nuremburg Trials, etc.)
- 6 million Jews & 6 million others killed, attracted attention
- The status of Jews in society
- When the United Nations is formed, the word is created
Jews in Germany before the Holocaust
- 1-2% of Jewish population in Germany
- Worked as bankers, merchants, and in entertainment and were mostly middle and upper middle class
Germany before Hitler
- Known as the Weimar Republic
- Suffered through hyper inflation
- Created modern art/culture
Hitler’s rise to power
- Hitler creates the National Socialist Society (now known as Nazis)
- Hitler goes to jail and writes Mein Kampf (My Struggles), describing the Final Solution
- Passes the Nuremburg Laws, segregating Jewish citizens
- Jews were sent to ghettos and sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews were made illegal
3 methods of persecution and killing
- Firing squads
- One of the earliest methods but was later deemed inefficient - Work camps
- Death from being overworked
- Death from disease - Concentration camps
- Evaluated upon arrival for health and either told to go right or left
- One side went to work, and the other side went to be gassed
- Used zyklon B for gas chambers
Doctor Mengele
Experimented on humans to find ways to mass kill Jews
6 million “others”
- Roma
- Slavs
- LGBTQ+
- Physically/mentally disabled
Who are the Armenians?
- Live in the Caucus region, in Armenia, and in eastern Turkey
- Vast majority are Christian (Armenian Apostolic Church)
The Ottoman Empire
- Muslim empire
- Rose to power in 1453
- Conquered the Eastern Roman Empire
- Allowed for religious freedom, but treated those of other religions as 2nd class citizens
- Territory in the Middle East, northern Africa and eastern Europe
Age of Imperialism (The Ottoman Empire)
- Ottoman Empire starts to lose power during the Age of Imperialism
- European nations are threatening Ottoman territory
Ottoman Empire’s nationalism
- Promote Turkish and Islamic culture
- Armenians become more nationalistic and protest
- Ottomans kill about 300,000 protestors (mid-1800s to early 1900s)
The Young Turks
- Started a rebellion in 1908
- Promised to restore the constitution and provide equal rights for all citizens
- Armenians support the Young Turks
- Came to power in 1913 but broke their promises (bait and switch)
Russia vs. the Ottoman Empire
- Russians are trying to take over Eastern Anatolia (where Armenians live)
- Ottomans fear that there will be a Russian-Armenian coalition because Russia is a Christian nation and Armenians are enemies with the Ottomans (the enemy of my enemy is my friend)
Actions of the Armenian Genocide
- Killing by gunfire
- Killed mostly men
- Reduced the population
- Prevented future populations from existing - Sent to the desert
- Mostly women and children
- Die of dehydration, starvation, or exhaustion
- No resources in the desert
Reactions to the Armenian Genocide
- Believed helping the Armenian victims would be seen as an act of war against the Turks
Modern day denial to the Armenian Genocide
- Turkey refuses to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide
- Happened during a war
- Victims were people they deemed a threat
- Have not been pressed to admit it
Rwanda
- A French Catholic country located in central Africa
- Colonized by Germany in the 1800s, however, in 1916, Belgium took over
- Became independent in 1962
Population of Rwanda
- 84% Hutu: Agricultural, worked with crops
- 15% Tutsi: Worked with cattle
- 1% Twa: Are pygmies (shorter than average) due to malnutrition
Belgian perspective on Rwanda
- 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
Rwandan Independence
- Became independent in 1962
- Led to several ethnic tensions, and many Tutsis being driven out of Rwanda and into Uganda and Burundi
Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)
- Comprised of Tutsis in Uganda and Burundi who invaded Rwanda in the 1990s
- Leads to a civil war from 1990-1993, which is ended through the Arusha Accords
Rwandan Genocide
- The accords are not upheld: 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
Romeo Dallaire
- 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