How many people really die in a genocide? The answer, millions. The Holocaust, Rwandan Genocide, and Armenian Genocide are among the many genocides which have killed a countless number of people. The Holocaust, one of the biggest genocides in the world killed around 5,900,000 to 11,000,000. The Rwandan Genocide killed from 500,000 to 1,000,000 people, while the Armenian Genocide killed 800,000 to 180,000. Genocides, the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular group or nation, has affected various countries.
Genocide not only brings a war but also problems like decreasing economic affairs and social problems. When genocide starts, society overlooks economic affairs like their agriculture since they focus on the war. In the case of Rwanda, once the genocide had begun many farmers fled or were killed. "All was
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Haguma said in a BBC article. Due to this decrease in agriculture, the economy took a direct hit since there was no source of income. Even years after, Rwanda is still affected by their economy, having a GDP of $20.32 billion as of 2015. Their GDP is significantly lower compared to the United States, which has a GDP of $17.97 trillion as of 2015. In addition to genocides having an impact on economy, they also have social effects like the use of child soldiers. In the book, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael becomes a child soldier at the age of 12 for the governmental team the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, in order to fight the Revolutionary United Front. Ishmael goes from being a regular kid who liked to spend time with his friends
The impact of war can have very harmful effects on people, especially children. In “A Long Way Gone” by Ishmael Beah, he explains the war of Sierra Leone from his point of view. The tragedy of losing his family, becoming a boy soldier, and the effects of war is said throughout the book, making it an interesting story to read. But, while Ishmael explains what he went through, it is hidden that other people were affected by the actions he took. Although Ishmael did play a victimizer, he was also a victim at the same time.
In the book “A long way gone” Ishmael Beah takes us on a journey through his rough childhood. He was 12 years old and just like other boys living in Sierra Leone at the time, at the age of 13, he became a child soldier. In his journey to escape the war. he had lost and gained people. Running from the rebels, and being taken in by villagers mistaking him and his friends for rebels, he finally made it to Yele.
“It is generally not known in the world that, in the years preceding 1916, there was a concerted effort to eliminate all the Armenian people, probably one of the greatest tragedies that ever befell any group. And there weren’t any Nuremberg trials”(Carter, 1987). Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth president of the United States, said this quote at the White House reception honoring Armenian Americans in May of 1978. It shows how little is known about the Armenian Genocide and that the survivors never received closure like the Holocaust survivors did with the Nuremberg Trials. During the Armenian Genocide, which lasted from 1915 until 1916, 1.2 million Armenians were brutally murdered.
The Armenian Genocide caused generations of pain and loss of the rich heritage of the Armenians. Not only did the genocide cause major human losses, but also caused a major psychological and moral blow at the attempt to exterminate the Armenian nation from the root. The Armenian Genocide resulted with around 1.5 million Armenians massacred, with only around half a million surviving the genocide. The loss of family, friends and the Armenian community, the genocide had a staggering blow on the Armenian race. The survivors escaped with merely their lives and the horrid memories of the cruel and inhumane nature of the Young Turks.
Some preconceived ideas I have of Genocide/ Holocaust is that first of all millions of Jews were persecuted and murdered of out pure hatred and racial discrimination. Along with them died other minority groups such as Gypsies, homosexuals, and the handicapped all simply because there were inferior and not pure-blood German or healthy. Hitler's reign and acts of terror were extremely horrific as well as a tragic time in history. When I think of the terms Holocaust and Genocide, I think of the concentration camps and all the people who died in there of starvation, disease, overwork, or cold-blooded murder by a Nazi.
Annotated Bibliography Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone. N.p., n.d. PDF file. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is a book that retells his own experiences as a child soldier.
Genocide and Political Mass murder are two of the most common phrases used when describing mass killings occurring in one, or numerous places. The systematic and deliberate murder of over 100 people due to their racial, ethnic, religious or national backgrounds is considered Mass Political Murder. Killings like this are carried out typically between two groups to show their dominance over the other. The murder may be either indirect or direct, for instance people can be murdered as they attempt to flee violent conflicts or they also may just be forced into areas where food and water may be scarce, essentially leaving them to starve. The areas where they attack do not even have to be large, a single village, or city can be sufficient enough
When many hear the term genocide, they tend to think it was something that happened in the past. This crime doesn’t exist anymore, no one has that much power in this day in age to cause such an evil act. However, that is not the case. Genocide, which can be descried as violence towards a group of individuals grouped together by race, ethnicity or religion, with the intent to eliminate the whole group. As evil as this sounds many have actually been able to go through with this action and succeeded.
The use of children in the Sierra Leone Civil War was widespread, with up to 10,000 children taking part in the conflict and up to eighty percent of RUF forces between the ages of seven and fourteen. Ishmael is one of these children. In his memoir, A Long Way Gone, Lieutenant Jabati and his men exploit several techniques to transform these frightened children into ruthless killing machines. They do this through the use of drugs, pop culture, as well as character and emotional manipulation. Tactics like these create habits and addictions that are almost impossible to break.
The Rwandan genocide vs. the Holocaust “Genocide is an attempt to exterminate a people, not to alter their behavior.” Jack Schwartz. Genocide is mass murder, it happens in all parts of the world. A common known genocide is the Holocaust. Where a group known as the“Nazis” (lead by Hitler) murdered more than six million people (many were Jewish).
The Holocaust v. Armenian Genocide Genocide is defined as “the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation” (Dictionary.com). Genocide has eight stages:classification, symbolization, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, extermination, and denial. Genocide has taken place many times throughout history. Two prominent genocides are that of the Armenians and that of the Jews and other minority groups during the Holocaust. There are considerable resemblances between the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust, especially in the nature of the genocides, a skewed view of the group persecuted by the governing group, and the ‘purposes’ behind both, but these mass killings
Genocide is one of the most cruel crimes that can be committed towards a mass amount of people. There are many documented genocide historical events, such as the Holocaust, where German Nazi’s belived they were very superior, and so their goal was to eliminate all people that were inferior to them, so they began murdering millions of Jewish people all across Europe along with many others such as gypsies, gay people, and disabled people. All throughout history the main reason that has caused hatred between people is ethnic and religious tensions. A more recent example of a genocide is the Rwandan genocide that occurred in Rwanda, Africa in 1994, where the Hutu majority rebelled against the Tutsi minority because the Belgian colonists gave superiority
The Effects of the Refugee Cycle “A young man, now safely settled in Canada, once told me that he didn 't mind being called a refugee because it described a situation that was forced on him; it didn 't define who he was” (Goodwin, 2011). This comes from a discussion between Debi Goodwin and a former refugee about the current refugee crisis in the Middle East. This observation is also seen in the novel What Is the What, by Dave Eggers, and A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah. The displacement occurring in corrupt societies within What Is the What and A Long Way Gone displays contrasting religious and political views, which leads to civil war. The violence caused by rebel, militia, and government organizations in certain African countries leads
Deep in the heart of Africa lies a small, seemingly insignificant country that is Rwanda. To many, Rwanda is just another impoverished African country, when in fact, it is the home to one of the largest and most efficient mass killings the world had ever encountered. The Rwandan genocide, like all genocides in general, are often viewed as inhumane and inexcusable, bringing forth a scarring image of death that would resonate among all humanity. Generally, genocides share similar characteristics in that they are usually caused by racial animosity towards a specific group of people along with the belief that those who are inferior are the cause of misfortune and the source of major problems. In this case, Rwandan Tutsis were atrociously massacred
The genocide was an after affect of the scramble for Africa by European countries who help no regard for the people who already lived their. In the scramble for Africa many European countries raced to make claims on land in Africa that was already lived on by natives, they mistreated the natives and killed and enslaved many of them. This was prevalent in Rwanda when the belgians imperialized the land. The belgians sent the Hutus who were the majority of the population into slavery and lead to mass deaths of their people. But they lead the land through another ethnic group the tutsis who made up about 15% of the population compared to the 85% population of Hutus.