Compare And Contrast The Darfur And The Holocaust A Comparative Investigation

Darfur and the Holocaust: A Comparative Investigation

Since the dawn of time, humans have been prone to developing a sociological concept of “us and them.” Although we like to think of ourselves as inclusive, it is human nature to categorize and discriminate, associating ourselves with the group that looks like us, acts like us, or speaks our language. This notion is complicated and can be used in such a way as to be seen as a weapon against others. In the 1940s, the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Europe exemplified this concept. This act of genocide and “ethnic cleansing” is undoubtedly one of the most horrendous acts of modern history. The death toll was approximately 6 million Jews, with 11 million people harmed. In contrast, the Darfur genocide

Propaganda used included posters, speeches, and even movies, in the case of the notorious 1940 antisemitic Nazi propaganda film, The Eternal Jew. The Nazis also began to associate Jews with well-despised communists and thieves. Along with this, the Nazi party started to back these claims with pseudoscience that somehow scientifically proved that the Aryan race was superior. They used this science to identify characteristics such as physical measurements to differentiate between the groups. The yellow star of David worn to identify Jewish people, and other symbols sought to amplify this distinction. In the Darfur genocide, similar measures have been taken as military groups seized control of the governments and began a path of destruction and damage. Before this series of conflicts, ethnic, religious, and economic disparities existed between tribes and classes in Sudan. It was only in 1989 that tensions rose significantly, as the National Islamic Front seized control of the government. Following this coup, a militant group known as the Janjaweed began to terrorize the area of Darfur, killing its ethnic people and destroying property. In this act, the resources were almost completely depleted, leaving the people famished and displaced. While in contrast with the symbols utilized in the Holocaust, the only main identification would be seen in the

“10 Stages of Genocide.” Genocide Watch, genocidewatch.net/genocide-2/8-stages-of-genocide.

“The Genocide in Darfur.” The New York Times, uploaded by NYTimes, 6 Nov. 2006, www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/1194817106526/the-genocide-in-darfur.html.

“United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.” United Nations, www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml.

Wikipedia contributors. “Darfur Genocide.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_genocide.

“Holocaust Denial.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust_denial.

“Eight Stages of Genocide.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_stages_of_genocide.

The United States of America, State Department. “The 8 Stages of Genocide.” The White House, 1996,