Genocides in History

Written by: Zheng Ruiwen (23-A1)

Designed by: Tan Zhi Shan (23-I1)

Being ushered into gas chambers. Suffocating to death. Watching crimson blood gush out of 

your wound as your life ebbs away. These were real experiences that were once experienced by persecuted communities in large-scale killings — or, more aptly termed, genocides. Throughout the course of history, there have been hundreds and thousands of atrocities carried out against communities of people, driven by a myriad of reasons such as racism and nationalism. In this article, we will bring you through some of the most prominent genocides in history. 

1. The Holocaust

The Holocaust is perhaps one of the most well-known and abysmal genocides committed against humanity. Led by Adolf Hitler, the infamous authoritarian leader of Nazi Germany. The Holocaust targeted Jews, as well as other communities such as homosexuals and disabled individuals who are deemed ‘undesirable’ according to the Nazis, who advocated for superiority of the Aryan race. Approximately six million Jews were systematically murdered in concentration and extermination camps through mass shootings, forced labor, and gas chambers. For those who did not know, the term ‘genocide’ was coined in 1944, in response to the very atrocities commited during the Holocaust. Till this day, the Holocaust serve as a painful reminder to us of the crippling consequences of extreme discrimination.

1. The Armenian Genocide 

The Armenian Genocide was a series of killings carried out by the Ottoman Empire on the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks during and after World War I, from 1915 to 1923. The Ottoman government, ruled by the Young Turks (a nationalist group) at that time, planned and executed the extermination of the Armenian population living within their borders. Laws were passed in 1915 to fully depopulate the Armenian minority in Turkey. The estimated death toll ranges from 1.5 to 2 million Armenians. The genocide involved mass deportations, forced marches, and systematic killings, leading to the deaths of a large portion of the Armenian population. Till this day, the Turkish government maintains that the deportation of Armenians was a legitimate action that cannot be described as genocide. However, as of 2023, 34 countries have recognized the events as genocide, which is also the academic consensus.

1. The Rwandan Genocide 

The Rwandan Genocide occurred in 1994 and resulted in the mass killing of approximately 800,000 to 1 million ethnic Tutsis and some moderate Hutus in Rwanda. The genocide was catalysed by longstanding ethnic tensions between the majority Hutu population and the minority Tutsi population. Such tensions culminated in a massacre of the Tutsi population after the assassination of Rwanda's Hutu President Juvénal Habyarimana. The killing was swift and brutal, carried out mainly with machetes and other crude weapons used to chop off people’s heads. The international community's failure to intervene effectively during the genocide remains a subject of intense debate and regret. 

These prominent examples of genocides carried out in history serve to remind us of the importance of promoting tolerance and understanding between groups of individuals that may harbour prejudice or hatred against each other due to differing cultural beliefs, practices as well as the remaining effects of any divisive policies.