“Estimated total number of victims of genocide in the twentieth century at 39 million” (Grant 16). This was only in the twentieth century and genocide has been going on for several more centuries. Genocide is a hate crime of mass killing against a group based on their beliefs. The Holocaust and Cambodian Crisis are examples of this. The crime is led by usually organizations or governments. Genocide has had an immense influence on society by the overtaking of political systems, the development of organizations to put an end to the atrocity, and the occurrences have brought awareness to the harm.
In Rwanda their political system was disrupted entirely through the dispute between the two of the region’s tribes, the Hutu and Tutsi. According to “Rwandan Genocide” “The killings began in early April of 1994, and continued for approximately one hundred days until the “Hutu Power” movement’s defeat in midJuly”(WorldWithoutGenocide. org). An article titled “Genocide in Rwanda” stated that “800,000 men, women, and children perished in the Rwandan genocide”(United Human Rights Council). This is almost three quarters of the Tutsi population.
Hutus were also killed by their own tribe because they disagreed with the punishment being brought upon the Tutsi. “Policymakers in France, Belgium, and the United States and at the United Nations were aware of the preparations for massive slaughter and failed to take the steps needed to prevent it” (“Genocide in Rwanda”). The reason that these dominant countries did not take action could be for the fact that the fight between the tribes did not involve them, and would be a big risk to send their troops into a deadly and unnecessary battle. This feud was considered a civil war.
The genocide against the Tutsi ultimately eliminated their tribe, however today their population has risen back up. The political system in Cambodia was ultimately destroyed through a bombing by radicals that did not agree with the current authority. Cambodia officially gained independence from France in 1953. This new change in leadership changed the nation, the country from that point was bound to be different socially. Zimmer, Knodel, and Sovan-Kim described “the Pol Pot led Khmer Rouge was a particularly brutal and genocidal regime… Hundreds of thousands of executions took place as the regime attempted to rid itself of dissenters”(5).
The new regime that seized leadership of the recently independent country was extremely brutal to the civilians that went against their rules. As a result of the thousands dead, Cambodia’s population was heavily affected, therefore causing a steep decline in their economy. The nation’s place in the world fell under. “Lon Nol government, were deemed to be a threat to the regime and were eliminated”(Zimmer, Knodel, Sovan-Kim 4). At the same time the regime’s hold on power was dwindling, they constantly had a short food supply and were barely able to feed their followers.
Disease was also a common factor that eliminated the majority of their workers. This led to the downfall of the regime and to their loss of power in Cambodia. Numerous political systems in countries were taken over, therefore affecting the society of the region. Through the genocide in parts of a country when another opposing party in the country tries to resolve the dispute a civil wars may erupted. In a paper titled “Economic and Political Causes of Civil War in Africa: Some Econometric Results” explained that “civil wars are defined to occur only where the state is one party”(Anyanwu).
He also wrote that ” Increasing environmental and population pressures tend to increase the likelihood of such conflicts… “(Anyanwu). While civil wars are fought internally between a nation, genocide can reach outside of other nations to decimate the intended group. Generally tribes in Africa will start disputes over water, where in the region water is scarce and tribes have to defend the little amount they have for their people. Recent organizations were established to prevent genocide and protect country’s that are prone to the harm.
The U. N Organization of Genocide Prevention was created around 1948 after the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This was after the second world war and the Holocaust. Office of the U. N. Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide concluded that “The international community has a responsibility to encourage and assist States in fulfilling this responsibility”(United Nations). Organizations will provide support to any country that is in need of aid to deter genocide in their area. Since the ending of the Holocaust, occurrences have brought a large amount of awareness.
Countries and people now realize the immense danger that some places have or are going through. Donations have been created to raise money and then they are sent to areas that are under attack from genocide. Organizations such as Oxfam a UK company that takes in donations and sends it to refugee camps in many african countries such as Rwanda, Cambodia, and the Conga. On April 7, an NBC news segment showed a controversial billboard along the Boston highway. The billboard stated that people should rise above the Armenian government and start protesting their economy(FactCheck Armenia).
By this they would refuse to buy goods that are made by the country causing their economy to fall under. The aftermath that genocide leaves behind is horrifying, it will leave thousands dead and has also forced many citizens to flee their country. In Modern Crimes against Humanity it writes about how “The legacy of genocide is so powerful- and the actual facts so unbelievable- that many deny that genocide ever occurred”(January 97). All the facts and statistics prove that in times like the Holocaust, mass killings have taken place. People have survived to tell their story of dread and the horrible acts that they witnessed.
Genocide has had a major impact on the world. Countries have been subverted causing for the establishment of organizations, and recognition for the harm. Everyone should join the fight to protect and prevent genocide in countries prone to the danger. People like Paul Rusesabagina realized that people were in need of help. “Relying on his cunning bravery and connections… protected the lives of more than one thousand Rwandans”(Modern Crimes Against Humanity). Genocide causes thousands to leave their homes and family behind, only to escape a place that they call home.
