Kyle Walker
English 2-H Faigenbaum
5/1/2012
Research Essay Assignment
Inhumanity In Our World
Genocide is one of the most evil moral crimes any ruling authority such as a government can commit against its people. A general definition of ‘Genocide’ is the intention to destroy or murder people because of their race, beliefs, or even political and economic status. Legal expert, Raphael Lemkin, created the term ‘Genocide’ 1944. Lemkin, a Polish Attorney, combined the ancient Greek word ‘genos’ which means race and the Latin word ‘cide’ which translates to killing. There are many examples of genocide in the world but the most recognizable is that of the Holocaust and how the German powers that be sought and attempted to kill all Jews. A recent example is the Rawandan Genocide in 1994 where the assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana caused a violent reaction resulting in mass killings. In efforts to reduce Genocide, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (UHCG) was adopted by the United Nations in 1948 and was placed in force in 1951. On July 1, 2002 the International Criminal Court (ICC) came into force. The ICC not only accepted the UHCG’s definition of Genocide but expanded it to include crimes against humanity such as enslavement, deportation, torture, rape, enforced disappearance and apartheid. There have been many organizations created throughout the world to defend and prevent Genocide. Communities, Religions and even Colleges are forming organizations and these are just some examples of how this is a concern too many people. Humanity is coming together and realizing this is a serious issue that cannot be ignored. Genocide may seem like a thing of the past but it is very much alive in the 21st Century and unfortunately it is still a vast issue in the world today. Genocide refers to gruesome acts of violence. Genocide involves the annihilation and slaying of entire groups, not individuals. Genocide is compiled of three basic fundamentals: acts, intent, and target group. It is the act of destroying an existing group by killing or causing grave conditions. It also signifies the intent to destroy the group’s existence and even going as far as preventing reproduction and the aggressive removal of children within that group. It is such an inhumane act of violence – to have the intention to destroy or murder people because of their race, beliefs, or even political and economic status. A majority of genocides occur in a war type environment. It is not measured on the amount of people who are killed. Its intent serves more of a consequence or punishment to the victims for their beliefs. The meaning of genocide is sometimes criticized for its lack to include political and social groups; since these are also from time to time the targets of severe political violence. In 1944 the creation of the word genocide is credited to a Polish lawyer named Raphael Lemkin. He created the term genocide as a response to the Holocaust and the viciousness of World War II. He combined the Greek word genos which means race and the Latin word cide which translates to killing. Lemkin defined genocide as a plan to demolish a group of people and strategizing to eliminate key fundamentals of the group’s existence including but not limited to race, culture, traditions and religion. Lemkin’s thoughts in creating the concept of genocide were to make people aware global dilemma and have a corresponding action in preventing re-emergence of this mass brutality and violent behavior. One of the most well known displays of genocide is that of the Holocaust. In 1931 Adolf Hitler came to command in Germany. His assembly, the Nazis, had a very racist belief on the German civilization. They believed all German’s should be Blond haired, blue eyed Aryan race. Oddly enough, Hitler himself did not fit the “Aryan” race that he believed all German’s should be. Hitler and the Nazis believed that all others were considered mediocre, low-grade human beings that should be used as slaves for his master race, the Aryans. Although the Nazis hated almost all “Non-Aryan” fitting races, their primary targets were Jewish people. The Nazis described the Jewish race as a wicked race that was scheming to rule the world and have the Aryan race as their slaves. This was more or less an excuse for the Nazis to blame all of Germany’s problems, for example their defeat in World War I, on the Jews. Between 1933 and 1939 the Nazis began to separate the Jews from others in Germany by excluding them from their rights to education and employment. Unfortunately for the Jews, Nazis propaganda made its way throughout Germany and people started to believe that the Jews were dangerous and a possible rival. Through this propaganda the Nazis became a strong force and by 1941 the Nazis had a plan to eliminate the entire Jewish race throughout Europe. Nazis set up extermination camps, what we know as concentration camps, where millions of Jews were taken to be killed, mostly poisoned by gas. Sadly, the Jews were not the only ones targeted by the Nazis. The Nazis began to massacre Gypsies and Slavs. Children who were believed to have Aryan distinctiveness were taken from their parents to be brought up as Aryans. It was the Jewish people though who suffered the most fatalities. By 1945 when the Allies defeated the Nazis and the killings had come to and end, the total loss of Jewish people was estimated to be around six million. Even today the Jewish Holocaust is one of the most gruesome examples of Genocide. This event has made a major impact on our society and memorials as well as museums have been set up to remember the innocent victims who tragically lost their lives for being who they were born to be.
Another ill-fated example of genocide is that of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Rwanda and Burundi were adjacent states in Central Africa. Both countries have a majority of Hutu people who are customarily settled farmers. A minority race is also present. They are known as the Tutsi people, who are by tradition cattle-herders and warriors. These two races had lived serenely together up until each state became its own independent country in 1962. Throughout 1972-1973 political tensions between the two resulted in genocidal bloodbaths. The Tutsi army massacred many of Hutu during this period. In 1988 a newly elected president encourage the Hutu of a promising democratic state. Unfortunately for the Tutsi, this encouraged an attempted overthrow that ignited more mass execution that began to slash a territory into pieces. On April 6, 1994 Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane crashed as a result of gunfire. Habyarimana’s plane was returning to Rwanda from Tanzania where he and Burundian president Cyprien Ntarymira were returning together after attending peace talks. The Hutu extremists began to kill the Tutsi and the opponents of the government. This was a very organized mass execution by the Hutu government which resulted in approximately 800,000 deaths. By July of 1994 the Tutsi government gained control of Rwanda. Many of the Hutu people that had fled to refugee camps outside the country began returning to their homes.
September 11, 2001. The United States woke up to a morning of pure terror and disbelief. One of several mass killings that the late Osama Bin Laden was responsible for but it will be the one he is most remembered for. Osama Bib Laden in one day managed to take the lives of almost 3000 people. The terror began at approximately 8:45am that morning. A Boeing 797 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Centers in New York City, NY. It crashed into the 80th floor immediately killing hundreds of people including those on the American Airlines plane. People above the 80th floor were trapped and had no place to go. While many emergency personnel attempted to evacuate of what they could in the North tower the media began reporting this as a freak accident. What seemed to be a freak accident was soon proved to be a planned attach. As millions watched in horror something unimaginable happened. At approximately 9:03am a second Boeing 767–United Airlines Flight 175– emerged out of the sky and crashed right into the South tower of the World Trade Center at approximately the 60th floor. Another explosion killed hundreds more people. Osama Bin Laden and his followers know as al-Qaeda was responsible for this attack. As we all sat and watched in disbelief at the terrifying events occurring in New York, a third plane, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon at approximately 9:45am. Approximately 200 people, including the passengers and staff onboard Flight 77 were killed.
Shortly after the third plane crashed into the Pentagon, The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. The cause of the collapse was mainly due to the heat generated by the planes jet fuel. By 10:30am the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed as well.
The fourth plane, United Flight 93 was the final plane in the attack on America. The passengers had learned of the events in New York and Washington DC and by the time the plane had been hijacked the passengers decided to try to stop the final attach. Tragically these passengers had knowledge that there lives would be taken; they wanted to spare the lives of others. The passengers fought the hijackers and the plane crashed in a field in Somerset, PA. Although it was never determined as to where the planes final destination was, the heroic passengers potentially saved the lives of others. The attacks on September 11, 2001 are just a small example of the mass killings that occurred under Osama bin Laden and the Taliban regime. Since then the Taliban no longer has power and Osama bin Laden was found and killed on May 2, 2011. I have learned through writing this paper that Genocide is a serious problem throughout the world. It is such a brutal unkind act it is hard to believe that any human or organization is capable of this kind of brutal killings. I hope that one day we can say that Genocide is a thing of the past. It is so unfortunate that this kind of evil surrounds our world today.

Works Cited

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