Genocide in Rwanda Raphael Lemkin coined the term "genocide" in 1944. According to Lemkin, genocide signifies the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group and implies the existence of a coordinated plan, aimed at total extermination, to be put into effect against individuals chosen as victims purely, simply, and exclusively because they are members of the target group. This coordinated plan is committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. According to the United Nations' definition of genocide in their 1948 declaration of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, genocide is a crime under international law and classified as such: 1. Killing members of the group; 2. Causing severe bodily or mental harm to members of the group; 3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; 4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; 5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. Because a particular group is exterminated for existing on earth, genocide can also be classified as a crime against humanity. Men, women, and children are killed because of their specific bloodline. It does not matter if you are a frail elderly woman, newborn infant, or pregnant woman. All these people would be killed, and the pregnant woman would also be disemboweled to make sure that the fetus in her womb is dead as well. The idea is that anyone who carries that blood is eliminated. All in all, the specificity of genocide does not arise from the extent of the killings, nor their savagery or resulting degradation and infamy, but... ... middle of paper ... ... racism combined with power struggles, and violence can have deadly consequences. Another lesson to be learned is that powerful and elite nations may not always have the backs of third world countries in their time of trouble unless the powerful nations have something to gain from the third world countries. One very last and important lesson to be learned is that genocide is a serious matter and this should be evident to everyone in the world. It is a deadly crime against humanity and should never be taken lightly nor ignored. Unfortunately, and tragically, genocide was a recurring theme in the 20th century (occurred three times). However, now that we are in our 21st century, it is up to all the people of the world to preserve humanity and eliminate genocide altogether by ending all the racism, power struggles, and violence that currently surrounds us all.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that lemkin coined the term "genocide" in 1944. it signifies the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group.
- Explains that genocide can be classified as a crime against humanity because of its specific bloodline. it does not arise from the extent of killings, nor their savagery.
- Analyzes how racism, power struggles, and violence led to genocide in rwanda between the hutu and tutsi populations.
- Explains how the belgians made the tutsi the privileged group through indirect rule.
- Describes how the belgian missionaries set up schools close to the hutus and encouraged their aspirations for political change. they became western-educated and christian-converted.
- Explains how the belgians reversed their preferences and inverted the hierarchy. they decided to rule through the hutu, instead of the tutsi, because they were more educated and made up 85% of rwandan population.
- Explains that the rwandan hutu president habyarimana was the key factor that led to the genocide. the peacekeeping force arrived in rwanda but the president's men had no intention of allowing him to implement the peace process.
- Explains that the rwandan patriotic force (rpf) retaliated against president habyarimana's nonconformity with the peace deal. the hutu decided that it was the perfect time to implement their genocidal plan to eliminate the tutsi.
- Explains that the rwandan radio station became "genocide central" after president habyarimana's death. the army and the united nations broadcast calls for calm and burundi did not explode.
- Explains that the belgians should not have issued the identification cards to the hutu and tutsi before they arrived in rwanda. they were forced to stick to their tribe and became ethnocentric.
- Opines that the genocide could have been prevented if the belgian government in rwanda didn't allow the hutu to use violence against the tutsi to maintain their power.
- Opines that the genocide could have been prevented by eliminating the actions of the radio station, rtlm. the hutu extremists lost control and felt the need to implement their genocidal plan at once.
- Opines that the genocide in rwanda could have been minimized by the clinton administration.
- Describes the lessons to be learned from the rwandan genocide, including that racism, power struggles, and violence can have deadly consequences.
Related
- opinion
- analytical
- explanatory
- argumentative
- The Holocaustopinion essayGenocide is one of the most frightening terms one could hear, sending shivers down your spine just to hear the word. Genocide is the intent of extermination of a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. One of the best known Genocide’s to the world is known as the Holocaust. Germans exterminated over 6 million Jews in just a couple of years. Families were torn apart, and some of the worst things you could ever do to a human being were done in these times. After the Holocaust everyone said Never Again, but it has happened over and over. If we follow the steps to preventing genocides, we can stop history from repeating itself and keep the people of the world safe.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how bystanders can't hide the atrocities, like the gas chambers, because they may not have a clear knowledge of the horrific things that are happening to them.
- Explains that genocide takes time and 8 steps, including classification, symbolism, dehumanization, and polarization.
- Explains that there were hundreds of thousands of concentration camps all over europe. sixth step was the preparation, taking and separating all the jews and holding them all together.
- Opines that even saving one life is worth the risk. bert and anne bochove hid 37 jews in a pharmacy in huizen, netherlands, and oscar schindler was able to keep them alive.
- Opines that anyone can make a difference at any time if we just watch what is going on around us and stand up and fight for what you know is the right thing.
- Explains that genocide is the intent of extermination of a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. the bystander effect is one of the biggest reasons why genocides continue in our world today.
1158 wordsRead More - In December 1948, the then members of the United Nations General Assembly, without contention, passed the Convention on Genocide. It defined what the crime of genocide entailed and that it was an act to be prevented and its perpetrators punished. It has been 66 years since then and we have not been able to fulfill this promise - shattering its very principles time and time again - in places such as Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda or Darfur. Man - a supposedly civilized species - has not been able to resist the urge to systematically destroy the 'undesirable' members of a society. There has been and always will be characteristics which define and divide us - race, religion, caste and culture, among others. Classification is the first and ever-present stage of genocide - there will always be an "us" and a proverbial "them". Although prejudice is human nature and may be pardonable, acting upon prejudice is not.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the un is a defunct organization, dependent on the will of its member nations in the face of genocide.
- Explains that many countries are reluctant to act in a situation which does not directly impact their own welfare and sometimes actively obstruct action by the un or other forces to satisfy their self-serving purposes.
- Explains that the world vowed never again to let human actions sink to such a vile depth as that of attempted extermination of an entire people.
- Opines that a single-pronged approach will never be enough to stop the massacres, but the long-term solution must come from within.
756 wordsRead More - The Jewish Genocide in World War IIanalytical essayGenocide is a reality that has ended millions of family trees, changing the course of the future and leaving a massive mark that the human race can never forget. The word genocide was created to describe the mass murdering of the Jewish people along with Slavic, Romanians, Greeks, African-Europeans, homosexuals, and mentally or physically disabled people. This certain genocide was named The Holocaust, or “Sacrifice by Fire” (Holocaust Facts). There are also more recent genocides, like the Rwandan Genocide located in Africa, a land where warlords and murderers control whole countries and kill there people for sport, or their beliefs. But let us focus on the Holocaust, a Genocide where one man and his fellow officers was capable of killing 11 million people with their influence on the German people, all the while fighting a war on two fronts between the Allies, like the British, Canadian, and American forces from the west, and the might of the Soviet Union in the east.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the word genocide was created to describe the mass murdering of the jewish people along with slavic, romanian, greek, african-europeans, homosexuals, and mentally or physically disabled people.
- Explains that the nazi party had begun to build camps to isolate the jews from the german people. they were put into ghettos and given small portions of food.
- Explains holocaust deniers and public misinformation. united states holocaust memorial museum, 10 june 2013.
- Argues that the holocaust is not genocide, but a casualty of world war ii. germans were taking jewish teachers and students from their schools and homes to go to concentration camps.
863 wordsRead More - Proposal for paper - Could Genocide have been prevented?explanatory essay- The meaning of Genocide, and the impact it has on a single person and society.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the meaning of genocide and the impact it has on a single person and society.
- States that if there was u.n. intervention, could genocide have been avoided?
- Explains how paper will prove both sides of ideas, the good and bad reasons of intervention, and the bad and good reasons for no intervention.
- Explains why there was a split between the serbs, croats and muslins.
- Describes the key players involved in the split of the nations by religious reasons, including milosevic.
- Explains how the u.n. and the major western countries responded to the genocide in chronographic order.
- Explains how to look over scholarly articles, books, etc., and determine what respected political scientists would have done.
- Explains that all research papers have a limitation to their studies. they plan to overcome this obstacle by gathering all the information they have before they begin writing their paper.
- Explains that they will use books, scholarly articles, the internet, and their own knowledge to manage their information.
- Analyzes the methods they will be using in writing this research paper. they will use the literature they have at hand as well as their general knowledge of the subject.
- Opines that we can learn from our mistakes and prevent a genocide from never happening again.
701 wordsRead More - Genocide Genocideargumentative essayWhat is genocide? Genocide, first used in 1994, is "the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial,political, or cultural group"(6). This is relevant to my research question, because during the UN convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the crime of genocide the United States vowed that they would investigate the situation and punish anyone responsible for the act of genocide. (#) But countless times in the United States history they were not very effective in actually stopping and punishing anyone for the act if genocide.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the bad blood between hutu and tutsi people started before the 1994 genocide.
- Narrates how the public tension between the nazi-germans and jews started in the early 1930's. the two groups didn't get along because nazis believed judaism was basically the same thing as christianity.
- Explains that genocide, first used in 1994, is the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group.
- Explains that while the united states had a responsibility to investigate and punish acts of genocide, they didn't investigate the hutu people responsible for the deaths of many tutsis and moderate hutus people.
- Analyzes how the clinton administration kept secrets during the genocide in rwanda. the united states was not effective in stopping it because they did not keep their responsibilities.
- Concludes that the american government does not want to get involved because they have no political ties or resources from rwanda. the united states government withheld information about the genocide in rwanda and the clinton administration did not keep up their part of the contract.
- Explains that the united states was not effective in stopping and helping prevent genocide because during the holocaust america decreased the number of immigrants that were allowed in the country twice.
1359 wordsRead More - The Genide: The History Of The Armenian Genocideexplanatory essayAlthough the term “genocide” was not created until 1944, instances of genocide have been performed since the beginning of humanity. “In ancient times, it was common practice for victors in war to slaughter the men of a population they conquered,” says the staff from History.com.
In this essay, the author
- Explains genocide has been performed since the beginning of humanity. in ancient times, it was common practice for victors in war to slaughter the men of a population they conquered.
- Explains that the ottomans treated armenians as infidels by creating laws that made life harder for them. on april 24, 1915, the turkish government planned systematic decimation.
- Explains that genocide happens in 10 stages that are impossible to stop. stanton's paper was presented at the united states state department after the rwandan genocide.
- Explains the first stage of genocide is classification, where people are distinguished by "us and them". preventative measures are to encourage the formation and association of individuals of different backgrounds with similar interests and concerns.
- Explains that symbolization occurs when classifications are given to distinguish a group from others, and can only lead to genocide with the stages of discrimination and dehumanization.
- Opines that political and citizenship rights should be equal for all groups in a society to prevent discrimination.
- Argues that hate speeches and other hate propaganda should be banned from international travel and have their assets seized.
- Explains that most genocides are organized by the state, the military, terrorist groups, or other militias.
- Explains that hate groups broadcast and publish "polarizing" propaganda to sway opinions and reinforce negative stereotypes. to prevent polarization during this stage, members of human rights groups should have government protection.
- Explains that the seventh stage is preparation, where armies are formed, weapons are gathered, and militias are trained. fear and hatred of the other group is imbued into the general population using lies and exaggerations.
- Explains the eighth stage of persecution, where victims are identified and separated from society due to religious or ethnic reasons. genocidal massacres will begin.
- Explains that the ninth stage of genocide is extermination, where massive killings begin, and the only way to stop it is by military action.
- Opines that the final stage of denial is an indicator of future genocidal massacres. the perpetrators should be caught and tried in a tribunal.
- Opines that genocide is one of the most horrible and brutal acts of humanity, but no one is sure why people do it.
1010 wordsRead More - Genocideargumentative essayThe analysis of this empowering term is fairly self-explanatory when the time is taken to break it down. Linda Jacobs Altman author of Genocide The Systematic Killing of a People claims that in 1944 the Greek word genos, meaning “race” or “tribe” and the Latin cide, which means “killing” were combined to result in the title of genocide. Altman states that today’s definition recognizes genocide as “Acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, as such”. A similar description has genocide as “A form of one-sided mass killing in which a state or other authority intends to destroy a group, as that group and membership in it are defined by the perpetrator”(Altman). Due to genocide being a worldwide issue, definitions have been known to cause controversy. Countries that represent perpetrators of past genocides often argue, on ridiculous terms, that their actions did not constitute a formal genocide. The breakdown of the word is helpful in the decision making process when determining if acts truly are those of genocide.
In this essay, the author
- Concludes that there is no early warning system to predict when genocide is going to occur, but it is certainly recognizable once started.
- Describes raphael lemkin as the "father of genocide" for his efforts in recognizing, defining, and taking a stand against such violations of humans' rights.
- States that the united nations is an association of independent countries that have agreed to work together to prevent and end wars. lemkin brought forth the idea for the convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide.
- Argues that genocide is a worldwide issue, and the breakdown of the word is helpful in the decision-making process.
872 wordsRead More - The Holocaust Genocide, And The Holocaustexplanatory essayGenocides typically have eight steps before actually occurring. Step one: classification, all cultures have categories to distinguish people, to classify people they usually look at a person 's religion, race, nationality, or ethnicity. Step two: symbolization, we usually give the names or symbols to the classification, like for instance
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the holocaust was a massive genocide that took place in 1933 until 1945.
- Explains that genocides have eight steps before actually occurring: classification, dehumanization, organization, extermination, and denial.
- Explains that almost everyone can be affected or harmed by genocides. the victims are usually innocent people that don't deserve what's happening during the crime.
- Explains that there are ways to prevent genocides, but some people aren't aware that you can prevent them.
- Explains that the holocaust was a massive genocide that killed millions. it started in 1933 and lasted until 1945.
- Explains that the holocaust consisted of more than 40,000 camps and nearly five million deaths to innocent people.
- Opines that it is important that the united nations and other countries do whatever they can in their power to stop and prevent genocides.
- Explains that genocide is a cruel crime that should never be committed and can be prevented. the holocaust killed millions and left the world and survivors haunted and traumatized for the rest of their lives.
1003 wordsRead More - The Holocaust: The Causes Of The Holocaustexplanatory essayGenocide- the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the holocaust is one of the most terrible events in human history. the plan was to make germany and surrounding countries an aryan race but they only succeeded in killing millions of people.
- Explains that germany kept records of who lived where, the occupation of the resident, and their religion. when nazis came to power, they added to these community records, questions about the people's family heritage.
- Describes how the jews were transported by trains in boxcars without knowing where they were going, the length of the journey or what would happen to them. the journey often took 3-4 days sometimes longer depending on the conditions.
- Explains that during the interment the jews were subject to torture and experiments, which differed from camp to camp.
- Explains how people are tied to posts and ripped off with a stick wrapped with barbed wire.
- Describes how josef mengele, nicknamed the 'angel of death', did cruel medical experiments that they hadn't tested on anyone else.
- Describes the holocaust and final solution of the jewish question, which was deceptively disguised as "resettlement in the east." aryan was originally applied to people of any indo-european language.
- Analyzes how hitler's hatred of jews grew into what was called the holocaust. the nazis believed that the jews were biologically and racially distinct and that there was a biological struggle for dominance.
- Describes the ghettos in poland during the holocaust period. they were cramped with people, dirty and not much food.
- Explains that the nazis built two types of camps: concentration/labour camps and death camps.
- Explains that after the war many european jews moved to other countries around the world to which they started new lives. the un established an independent jewish state what now known as israel.
1286 wordsRead More - Rwandan Genocideopinion essayAfrica has been an interesting location of conflicts. From the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea to the revolutionary conflict in Libya and Egypt, one of the greatest conflicts is the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide included two tribes in Rwanda: Tutsis and Hutus. Upon revenge, the Hutus massacred many Tutsis and other Hutus that supported the Tutsis. This gruesome war lasted for a 100 days. Up to this date, there have been many devastating effects on Rwanda and the global community. In addition, many people have not had many acknowledgements for the genocide but from this genocide many lessons have been learned around the world.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the rwandan genocide included two tribes in rwanda: tutsis and hutus. this gruesome war lasted for a 100 days.
- Explains that many people tried to follow the path of history from the colonialism of rwanda to the rwandan genocide.
- Opines that the rwandan genocide could have been prevented and given rwanda a positive outlook if certain measures were taken.
- Analyzes the impact of the conflict in rwanda on the rwandan people, including the declination of tutsis and hutus, and the political instability caused by habyarimana's death.
- Opines that nations should make more organizations that promote the spread of information throughout the world like the media.
- Compares the rwandan genocide and other similar conflicts in africa. the darfur conflict was about the arabs and non-arabs in sudan.
- Opines that lessons can be learned from the rwandan genocide. one should try to make a positive change in one’s surroundings.
1007 wordsRead More