Common Causes of War and Genocide Essay example - 1271 Words

Genocide, or the systematic destruction of a race or tribe is an all too common phenomenon in our planet’s history and even more so in Africa. Genocide and war share many common causes such as desperation brought on by a declining economy. Experts on the Central African Republic believe that current events point to a possible repeat of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, in which over one million people were killed. Many think that U.N. involvement is necessary to stop the escalating violence in the Central African Republic; others believe that the dismal track record of the U.N. in similar situations makes it unlikely that they could be effective in the current crisis. Regardless, an already bad human rights situation is likely to worsen. One†¦show more content†¦To escape the slave traders, many Africans moved from place to place, avoiding contact with other people. The historic isolation between groups has contributed to the difficulty Central Africans have had in developing a modern government or identity. The 20th century, often called the century of genocide gives numerous events from which information can be drawn to help understand the declining situation in the Central African Republic. There have been a number of genocides outside of Africa in the 20th century to include: the holocaust of World War II brought on by Adolf Hitler in which approximately six million Jews were killed, the Holodomor in the Ukraine under Josef Stalin with a Ukrainian population reduction of as much as 25 percent, and the massacre in Cambodia under Pol Pot with around two millions Cambodian deaths. Within Africa, from April 6 to July 15, 1994, a barbaric act of genocide took place in Rwanda before the very eyes of the troops of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. Hundreds of thousands of old people, women, children, and even tiny babies were hunted down and cut to pieces in every corner of this land of terror. These genocides all have in common widespread economic strife and food shortages, being the reason for upheaval, and Totalitarian governments which is the mechanism that allows the genocides to occur. Not unlike the present situation in the Central African Republic, the genocide inShow MoreRelatedElements of Genocide: Collective Behaviour and Acting Crowd Essay1307 Words   |  6 Pages During World War II, an acting crowd known as the Nazi party brought forward the massacre of millions. After the war, in 1943 Raphael Lemkin, a Jewish-Polish lawyer, created the term genocide to describe the mass extermination of various groups. He combined Latin word â€Å"genos† (race or tribe) with another Latin term â€Å"cide† (to kill). After the holocaust, Dr. Lemkin fought for the recognition of genocide under international law. Thanks to his efforts, the UN Convention of Genocide was created. (Analysis:Read MoreThe Death Of Genocide : The Annihilation Of Minorities Essay1548 Words   |  7 Pages Genocide is the systematic mass murder of an ethnic, race, religious, or national group based on discriminatory preconceptions (Payne 33). The heart of genocide is destruction: the annihilation of minorities. Minorities have always been the scapegoat for most governments in times of crisis or when the government has been mismanaged. Minorities are even considered non-human. The annihilation of a specific target group does raise to question why and how this would be carried out. A genocide happensRead MoreGenocides And Genocides Of Genocides987 Words   |  4 PagesAfrican Holocaust Genocide is a million African people being butchered by hand by their neighbors, with household tools and homemade weapons—machetes, hoes, and hammers. Genocides are commonly overlooked throughout many countries. Africa has had many genocides and wars occurring over the past century. The most known genocides are ones that occurred in Rwanda and Darfur. Researchers have found that most genocides show the same patterns and key elements. As different genocides of Africa have occurredRead MoreDifference Between Genocide And War1166 Words   |  5 Pagesthere a difference between genocide and war? The idea and concepts of conflict are often misunderstood. To many, any form of conflict is war. War can be defined as a direct violent encounter between two or more opposing parties with a view to gaining access to an object of their mutual interests. It is usually accompanied by the use of weapons such as guns, bows and arrows, machetes, sticks, biological weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. (Insert bibliography #1). Genocide has been described as aRead MoreThe Other Side Of America1518 Words   |  7 Pagesnothing is more common than to hear them talk of extirpating them totally from the face of the earth, men women, and children† (Lewy). A genocide that is given little attention in America’s textbooks is the American Indian Genocide, which was led by white settlers. America’s true colors were shown in their infamous actions, which spanned hundreds of years. Throughout this genocide, America showed a hypocritical side—along with a violent and twisted personality—that is not widely known. The War with â€Å"Savages†Read MoreThe Genocide And The Holocaust1198 Words   |  5 PagesThere have been several genocides in the past century. The Cambodian Genocide and the Holocaust are two of the great tragedies of the twentieth century. The Holocaust occurred in Germany and Eastern Europe. The Cambodian genocide took place in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge was an overwhelming communist force that took Phnom Penh by surprise. In Cambodia, â€Å"21% of the population was killed. That is about 1.7 million people that lost their lives† (â€Å"Past Genocides†). There was little commotion or outcryRead MoreThe Rwandan Genocide And The Genocide1393 Words   |  6 PagesThe Rwandan Genocide was one of the most violent genocides in the history of the world and was intricately planned and implemented by the ethnic group called the Hutu in an attempt to eliminate another, the Tutsis. Though the genocide lasted only one hundred days, the number of deaths is estimated t o be approximately 800,000. In the wake of the genocide, mass chaos plagued the country of Rwanda, deepening the divide between the groups Hutu and Tutsi. Although it can be said the genocide was causedRead MoreThe Negative Effects of Nationalism Essay1499 Words   |  6 Pagessociety is ethnocentric nationalism, for it causes people to become judgmental and believe that a certain nation and race is superior over other nations and races. Ethnocentric nationalism is especially dangerous and negative when combined with other types of nationalism such as expansionist nationalism and can even lead to war and genocide. Nationalism began to develop in the 19th century and reached its peak in the 20th century around the time of World War One. (Savich 2003) Also the earliest mentionRead MoreWhat was the Cause of the Rwandan Genocide?1116 Words   |  5 PagesInvestigation What was the cause of the Rwandan Genocide? The assassination of the president of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana on April 6, 1994, was the event that started the 100 Day massacre of the Tutsis by the Hutus, known as the Rwandan Genocide. The objective of this investigation is to find out the root of the cause of the Rwandan Genocide. The body of evidence will investigate the history of the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups and the events leading up to the genocide. The evidence includesRead MoreEssay on Recognizing the Armenian Genocide1266 Words   |  6 PagesThe Armenian Genocide, also known as the Armenian Holocaust, was the organized killing of Armenians. While there is no clear agreement on how many Armenians lost their lives, there is general agreement among Western scholars that over a million Armenians may have perished between 1914 and 1918. It all happened during the Ottoman Empire, present-day Turkey, where 2 million Armenians lived. The Armenian Genocide is the second-most studied massacre, after t he Holocaust. To date Twenty-two countries