Research Paper On What Are The Main Causes Of Genocide?

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The Main Causes of Genocide
The 19th century witnessed gruesome genocides that brought about devastating effects on the nations involved. The Holocaust and the Cambodian genocide have stood as among the worst infringements on human rights perpetrated by systematic persecution and killing of civilians. The Holocaust (1933-1945) refers to the state-sponsored maltreatment and killing of approximately 10 million people, among them, six million Jews, by the Nazi regime in Germany (Bergen 10). The Cambodian genocide took place from 1975 to 1979 whereby approximately 1.5-3 million people were killed (Bergin 20). These killings were planned and facilitated by the Khmer Rouge regime that was led by Pol Pot (Bergin 22). Both genocides are a reflection of the magnitude of hate that befalls certain groups of people who happen to be ‘enemies’ of the regimes in power. The regimes in power show total disregard to the groups of people being fought against, as long as they achieve their desired ends. Political superiority, social control, racial supremacy and ethnic bias were at the center of the Holocaust and Cambodian genocide. In both cases, the Nazi regime and the Khmer Rouge regime were focused on eliminating groups of people that were deemed to be enemies of, and threats to the state. Torture, persecutions, and mass killings were seen as viable solutions to the establishment of the political, social and economic order that the Nazi and Khmer Rouge regimes envisioned. Certainly, history records the Holocaust and the Cambodian genocide as dreadful moments were gross violation of human rights were witnessed in the 19th century.
The Political Factor
The political climate in Nazi Germany and Cambodia was a major cause of the Holocaust and the Cambodia genocide respectively. Germany suffered a lot during, and after the First World War. The Versailles Treaty rendered Germany as the principle cause of the war and, thus was called upon to pay huge amounts of money to the Allies. This, together with the great economic depression that Germany was facing in 1945 had a huge toll on the nation (Yahil 35). When the Nazi regime took power in 1945, it promised to rebuild the country and bring to an end the challenges it was facing at the time. The regime took advantage of the political situation and fuelled propaganda against the Jews. The political propaganda against the Jews stated that the economic problems that the Germans were facing were as a result of the Jews. They were alleged to be the ones taking control of the money that was supposed to be benefitting the Germans. This political rhetoric became very popular within the German population to the extent of accepting the persecution and murder of innocent Jews. As a result of this, victims were tortured and sent to concentration camps, which led to the death of estimated 6 million Jews.
The political climate in Cambodia also perpetrated the killings of approximately 3 million people. The Khmer Rouge regime wanted to do away with capitalism and establish a communist system (Mayersen & Annie 45). In this regard, the regime, under Khmer Rouge was opposed to any person or group that was supporting capitalism. People who were allied to the previous government or had ties with other governments were either executed or turned into forced laborers. The forceful regime leader, Pol Pot, was so opposed to the so called enemies of communism, that he even ordered the killing of members of the Khmer Rouge (Mayersen & Annie 28). The regime was in full support of peasant communism; hence, any western influence of capitalism and urbanization was resisted with brutal force. In other words, Cambodia was shut off from the outside world. The Khmer Rouge regime embarked on a political mission to root out enemies of communism through brutal killings and torture. Millions of urban dwellers were turned into slaves who worked under harsh conditions without good diet. Some of them starved to death while others died from diseases (Mayersen & Annie 35). The political ideology of communism was a major factor behind the arrest, persecution, and murder of millions of civilians in Cambodia.
Racism and Ethnic Targeting<...