Holocaust and Genocide

Genocide• Definition• Deliberate and systematic destruction (in whole or part) of an

ethnic group• Can be religious, racial, national, etc.

• Many genocides have occurred throughout history• Carthage was destroyed by Rome• Genghis Khan and his followers left a trail of genocidal actions• Some historians have argued the US treatment towards Native

Americans showed elements of genocide

Holocaust• Holocaust• Systematic killing of minorities by Nazi Germany

Holocaust continued• What makes it different than other genocides?• Body count

• Estimated 12.5 -17 million deaths• Approximately 6 million were Jews• Other targets: gypsies, homosexuals, Poles, Soviets, anyone deemed

“unfit” for society• Systematic

• Very organized process from start to finish• Polarization

• People supported the idea

Adolf Hitler• 1889-1945• Austrian• Early Life• World War I• Postwar actions• Jail and Mein Kampf• Rise to power• Vision of Germania

Steps of Destruction• Hitler had a clear vision to carry out the Holocaust• Tina Lack of Florida published a paper on these steps• We will review this steps in an effort to better understand the

Holocaust and prevent any personal actions that may make others feel inferior

Steps of Destruction• Classification• Identify the groups/targets • Use propaganda or media to publicly identify groups• Must prove why the groups deserve targeting

Steps of Destruction• Symbolization • Visually separate groups from others

• Nazis forced people in concentration camps to wear triangles on their clothing

• Dehumanization• Brainwash groups to feel inferior and create superiority over

them• Includes hate symbols and separation from superior group

Steps of Destruction• Organization, Polarization, Preparation• Organize inferior groups into areas

• Nazis used concentration camps for this • Polarization prevents interaction and intensifies hate

• Make people encourage the superiors to remove the inferiors from everyday life

• Preparation• Physical separation and prepare for death

Steps of Destruction• Extermination• The killing of the inferiors

• Denial• Worst step of all• People refuse to recognize the actions and effects of the murders • There are Holocaust deniers today, despite overwhelming

evidence• Video clip of the violence and steps of the Holocaust

After Effects• 2/3 of European Jewish population are killed• International focus on Jews and other minority groups• Rise of Zionism and return to Israel• Creation of the state of Israel in 1948• Caused displacement of Palestinians already inhabiting the land• Violence has scarred Israel since over rightful ownership of land

Continued Genocides• The international community tried to prevent genocides after

the Holocaust• Nonetheless, genocides have still occurred• Cambodia under Pol Pot• Rwanda• Iraq (murder of the Kurdish people by Sadam Hussein)• Darfur

Darfur• Darfur is in Sudan, northeast Africa• Civil War since 1970• North (industrial) vs South (agricultural)

• North is mostly Arabs• South is mostly Africans• Flow economic aid was stopped to South• Displacement, racial violence, wage gap forced further

violence• UN has gotten involved but refuses to call it a genocide• Show Darfur video