Historical Conflicts: Genocide and Atrocity Analysis

Historical Conflicts and Atrocities

Cambodian Genocide Facts

• Scarf Colors Worn by Cambodians: Red bandana = Communist; Blue = anti-communist.
• Government Goal During Genocide: To establish a communist Utopia.
• Country Removing Perpetrators: The army of Vietnam finally removed the genocidal group from power.

Rwandan Genocide Details

• Ethnic Groups Involved: Hutus and Tutsis.
• Reason for Atrocities: News reports claimed that the Tutsis killed the president.
• Timeline: Occurred between April 7 and July 14, 1994.
• International Criticism: The UN was criticized because they were only present for rescue operations but failed significantly.
• Conclusion: The Rwandan genocide finally ended as the Tutsi rebels were winning.
• Casualties: An estimate of 800,000 people were killed in 100 days during the Rwandan Genocide.

Other Conflicts

During the 1990s, a genocide occurred in Bosnia (formerly part of Yugoslavia) in Southeastern Europe.

Nuremberg Laws of 1935

These were racial discriminatory laws that revoked German citizenship from Jewish people:

• The Nazis announced new rules that revoked Reich citizenship for Jews.
• These laws prohibited Jews from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of German descent (Racial Infamy).
• The Nuremberg Laws defined a Jew as someone with three or four Jewish grandparents.
• New marriage requirements were instituted in October 1935 under the Law for the Protection of Hereditary Health.

Examples of Dehumanization

Examples of events constituting dehumanization include:

1. Authoritative sources, such as government officials or media personalities, deny the humanity of group members.
2. Group members are portrayed as nonhuman or subhuman.
3. Representations of the group as an innate threat to society.
4. Individuals are considered threats based solely on group membership.
5. Crimes and attacks against members of the group are ignored or encouraged.
6. Courts refuse to prosecute, and the police refuse to arrest the perpetrators.