Genocide
By Sidney Ehret
Thesis
Genocide is something not many people like to talk about. It's a scary thing and a lot of people like to deny that it happens, but it does. There have been many different types of genocide throughout time some well known and some kept a secret. Most governments of countries like to deny that genocide has ever occurred in their country. In each one there is more than enough proof to show that these have happened and is a world wide problem since the beginning of civilization.
Armenian Genocide
- Started in 1915 and ended in 1918
- The Turkish Government wanted full power so they got rid of anyone apposed to it
- People believed the Armenians were a threat to national security
- There were many Armenians serving in the Turkish Army. They had their guns and others weapons confiscated and were forced to go to work camps, otherwise known as concentrations camps.
- People were forced out of their homes. They were forced to go on death marches.
- Death marches were where they just walked for hundreds and hundreds of miles without food or water until they died.
- The Turkish Government made a "Special Organization" of soldiers to raid homes, kill villagers on the spot, and raped women and children.
- Many women and children were forced in to a life of sexual solitude.
- The Turkish Government had many state sponsored massacres where they would just come in to villages and kill people on sight.
Holodomor
- One of the most unknown genocides
- Took place in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933
- Man made famine caused by Joseph Stalin
- The basic concept was to starve all people who opposed Stalin
- Stalin forced farmers to give up land, livestock, and equipment, then forced them to work on collective farms which were like factories.
- Dekulakization brigades confiscated and land, livestock, and other property, and evicted innocent people from their homes and forces into freight trains to be shipped to remote areas with no food or shelter. Many children died in transit.
- The Soviet Government increased production quotas knowing they couldn't be met so starvation became widespread.
- Anyone who was thought to be or was caught stealing food from the fields where they were working would be executed immediately.
- Blockades were put around villages to prevent and food from being transported and to keep people form leaving
- Brigades were brought in to confiscate any and all food from villagers
- Many people were killed through deportations and executions .
Nanjing Massacre
- Took place in Nanjing, China which was the capital of China at the time.
- The Japanese wanted to take over China so after they invaded Shang Hai they invaded Nanjing, which is now known and Nanking.
- Started in December 1937 and only lasted 6 weeks
- This is one genocide that isn't well known and happened just before The Holocaust.
- Had a place called the Safe Zone that was made by the International Committee.
- Japanese intruders came in a looked for anyone possible to kill
- They slaughtered people with machines guns, rifles, and hand guns.
- They buried more than 2,000 people alive and forced people in to banks, covered them and kerosene then burned them to death.
- The Japanese soldier took their killings as a a game and would keep score to see who killed more people
- They would take pregnant women and cut out their fetus and either stab it or cook it then leave the women there to die in pain.
- They would also mutilate people and cut out their organs, cook them, and eat them.
- At the end of it all there were more than 300,000 deaths.
Conclusion
Even though the Holocaust is a major genocide I didn't focus on it because its well known. People already know a lot about it and there isn't a lot that people don't know. I wanted to focus on the more unknown genocides around the world. Many people don't understand that there were more than just The Holocaust. The Holodmor and The Nanjing Massacre are two of the most unknown genocides in our world's history. I chose these to show that there's a lot we don't know about other countries. What I'm trying to get people to understand is that a lot of violence goes on around the world that we don't know about and a lot of countries try to cover it up.