The Bosnian Genocide

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The term genocide was first formulated by Raphael Lemkin which he constructed from the Greek word 'genos', meaning 'race' or 'tribe' and the word 'cide' meaning 'to kill’. Lemkin describes genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group", with a coordinated plan to exterminate that specific group on the simple basis of culture, religion, ethnicity, or racial discrepancies. The term Genocide was only brought into existence in 1944 by Raphael, and was turned into international law December 9th, 1948. The following events depict terrible atrocities that countries have committed, whether it was to escape persecution or to attack the enemy, these were acts that leave a lasting impression on people. The Bosnian genocide refers to …show more content…

The ethnically-based Yugoslav Wars took place during March 1991 and November 2001. The Bosnian war which was the second war in the series, took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The background behind this conflict has roots that have grown since the start of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). However, we will be focusing on the more recent conflicts that have shaped the event of the Bosnian War which led to the Bosnian Genocide. The next essential point assists in generating a grasp on this topic for understanding the climate prior to the Bosnian War. The SFRY had formed a federation of six republics and it brought together Serbians, Croatians, Bosniaks, Albanians, Slovenes, and other ethnic groups. The tensions and conflicts between these groups were successfully suppressed under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito who ran a relaxed communist regime. However, after his death in May 1980, tensions would quickly rise again and the state of the SFRY would be turned upside …show more content…

Pertaining to a even earlier genocide than the Bosnian Genocide, one might refer to the Armenian genocide, which actually inspired Raphael Lemkin to define the style of mass predetermined killing. The Armenian genocide resulted in the death of over 1.5 million Armenians. It took place during World War I from 1914 to 1923, in the Ottoman Empire which is present day Turkey. The roots for such hatred can be traced back to dates as early as 1555. The Ottoman Empire negates the fact that this was a Genocide, but sees it as a way to combat the paramilitary groups that were rising up in