History of Genocide (Essay Sample)

Genocide
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Genocide
Introduction
Genocide is a crime recognized internationally due to the brutal consequences against humanity (Shaw, 2012). Genocide is a crime identified as any difficult act intended to destroy or harm whole ethnicity, society, or religious group following reasons known to the perpetrators. In the essay, I will discuss the history of Genocide, including its causes and consequences. I will also discuss how international laws help prevent Genocide in the world.
History of Genocide
Genocide has been part of society since the 19th century, which affected world and nation-state history (Levene, 2000). However, the 20th century was one of the deadliest centuries in human history that claimed millions of lives following the mass killings in various parts of the world (Staub, 2011). More than Genocide is a term that existed in the 1950s after the German Holocaust and the World Wars (Levene, 2000). A Polish Jewish Scholar, Raphael developed the term genocide by combining Greek and Latin words, genos meaning race or tribe, and Cide meaning killing. The term genocide was developed to describe the cruel experience of Jewish people in Hitler, Germany (Staub, 2011). Also. Raphael coined the word Genocide following the previous events of targeted harmful actions against a particular group of people in world history. Various activities were meant to destroy a specific group of people following differences in philosophies, values, and norms in society.
Genocide is caused by domestic political a social issues that attracted the attention of international bodies. Genocide is a crime against humanity meant to intentionally destroy or kill a group of people for reasons known to the perpetrator(Levene, 2000). Genocide is often caused by differences and disagreements in political ideologies in a nation (Staub, 2011). History has it that record does not materialize or start suddenly. Still, it is the culmination of the chain and series of events resulting from tensions resulting from different social groups (Shaw, 2012). As the suspense intensifies, the behavior and attitude towards another group turn into various client events that increase until it leads to the destruction of that particular group (Staub, 2011). Genocide is mainly perpetrated by the state-nation(Levene, 2000). Also, it can be caused by the opposing groups, and it after a series of events are orchestrated to destroy and wipe away the targeted group's existence. The mass murder perpetrated by the nation-state has happened in world history. The governments have been associated with the murder of many people in history, as seen in the great world wars.
As a result, Genocide is a domestic issue and an international issue that affects the inhabitants of the nation-state it operates. It involves the nation-state and individuals targeted by the perpetrators (Iriye, 2012). Genocide destroys and damages relationships among social groups, nations, and governments (Staub, 2011). The target group of the Genocide tends to lose trust in the other groups and start hating one another, resulting in a long-term rivalry. Ending these wounds and restoring relationships in the state will take years of effort and result in other minor recurring conflicts in the state. Genocides cause the loss of human lives that will remain in world history for centuries to come, as evident in the German holocaust and Rwandese Genocide. Moreover, people are left with psychological issues, including depression, trauma, and hopelessness in life. The victims may sustain long-term injuries following brutal rape, torture, and witnessing mass destruction.
As a result, Genocide has become a crime that has affected the communities and nations worldwide, calling for international efforts to prevent it (Iriye, 2012). Genocide destroys human lives and social values and affects political stability locally and internationally. Hence international laws were enacted to avoid and punish perpetrators of Genocide. The most common types of genocides have attracted the attention of international bodies and agencies responsible for dealing with crimes against humanity. The Genocide includes Rwandese genocides, the German holocaust, and the Cambodian Genocide.
Cambodian Genocide
Cambodian Genocide lasted for approximately four years, from 1975 to 1979. It resulted from mass violence in the region that cost the lives of about three million people under the leadership of the Khmer Rouge. Rouge took over Cambodia's leadership immediately after the end of the Cambodian civil war (UMN, 2020). Therefore, rouge Kham is responsible for the deaths of more than one million Cambodians during the Genocide. Cambodian Genocide resulted following social engineering project developed by Khmer in an attempt to establish an agrarian society without social classes (UMN, 2020). Khmer create extreme disorganization of the community, forcefully removing people from the city and sending them back to rural areas. And they were forced to work as farmers. Thousands of people were subjected t starvation and death following the development of labor brigades whereby different groups were allocated based on age and gender (UMN, 2020). Also, religious repressions were targeting Christians, Buddhists, and Cham Muslims. However, the failure following the immigration and invasion of the Vietnamese led to mass violence and social unrest. Therefore, the Cambodian Genocide affected the region and many nations worldwide.
Rwandese Genocide
Rwandese Genocide of 1994 resulted from manipulating the external forces, domestic pressures, and the psychological issues of the people in the community (Hintjens, 1999). The Rwandans were the leading players during the Genocide between two ethnic groups of Hutu and ties. The political divide that led to mass killings was perpetrated by domestic pressure and the external interanion forces with interests in the country (Hintjens, 1999). Rwandese Genocide resulted in the murder of thousands of innocent people, including men, women, and children, all raided from their rural homes. Tutsi were the targeted group just like the Jews targeted by Nazis, whose mass killings were acceptable in the country (Hintjens, 1999). The killing started immediately after Habyarima's airplane was shot down at Kigali before it landed. In the first week of the Genocide, about 10% of the Rwandese population was dead, making the fatal and horrific events in human history (Hintjens, 1999). Until today, there is still no reasonable explanation for the Rwandese Genocide as there is in the Nazi holocaust. However, the racial causes have been used for many years to mask the reason behind the Rwandese Genocide (Shaw, 2012). It is believed to have started following the racial differences between the Tutsis and Hutus; however, political and international areas caused the war.
German holocaust
Through Genocide, there is the murder of target groups, forced lab our, starvation, exposure to harsh living conditions, life-threatening medical experiments, bombing, concentration in death camps (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2021). The Nazis killed more than thirty million people of all distinct groups, including the disabled, prisoners of war, Jews, Germans, and many more. Also, more than one million children were killed (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2021). The Nazis perpetrated their mass killings through institutionalized practices, including euthanasia, forced labor, and prisoners' processing of war concentration camps. Most of the events during the German holocaust intertwine with the events of the Genocide following the method of killings (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2021). Nazis killed Jews following religious interest and race, culture, and political power differences (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2021). Also, the Nazis murdered those individuals who opposed its regime regardless of where the person came from. They killed the Germans who opposed Jew's killings. Hence, the reins because Hitler killed thousands of top Nazi officials and more than five thousand Germans following the plot for his assassination (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2021). As a result, the German holocaust cost millions of innocent people in Germany, and Nazis invaded and occupied the countries. Besides Jews, Nazis killed more than two million Pole, three million Ukrainians, and Russians in cold blood, especially those belonging to the Soviet Union.
Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg trials were the first trial on international war crimes in Berlin, Germany, following the Nazi holocaust (WWII, 2020). However, due to the destroyed situation of the capital, the trial took place in Nuremberg city, where the highest profile cases we