The Holocaust and the Cambodian Genocide Similar or...

Evil doesn’t even begin to cover it. The mass murder of millions of people. The complete obliteration of an entire society. Each and every genocide has the same core principles, but a distinct face. A dictator takes over a weak country with promises of returning it to its former glory, once he has everyone’s support, he implements extremely discriminatory laws and finds reasons to kill anyone who dares oppose him. The Holocaust and the Cambodian genocides are remarkably similar, and yet strikingly different. The Holocaust was an attempt to wipe out all Jews and other minorities such as gypsies and handicapped people. The Cambodian genocide, led by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, was in some ways a mirror image of the Holocaust, but it†¦show more content†¦This fact strikes many people as peculiar because it raises the question, â€Å"If they didn’t care enough to let them live, why did they care enough to keep such meticulous records?† Such a questio n is very difficult to answer because the vast majority of the despicable things that these two sets of wrongdoers did are unexplainable. Some things may even be better left unknown. Despite having a prominent amount of similarities, these genocides are also very unique. As gruesome as it is to think about, one of the main differences is the reason for extermination. In other words, why the people who were killed were killed. The Holocaust had somewhat of a regimented list or criteria that had to be met before they killed anyone. Most of the people killed were practicing Jews who Hitler believed to be holding the German culture back from progressing as a society. However it is less common knowledge that Hitler and the Nazis also persecuted gypsies, homosexuals, and anyone who didn’t fit his description of the perfect race. The perfect race to Hitler was deemed the Aryan race (blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin) and the purpose of the holocaust was to kill the Jews and anyo ne else who might prevent the Aryan race from prospering (â€Å"Holocaust†). In the Cambodian genocide, people were killed for a multitude of reasons. One being that they opposed Pot’s new communist approach to running the government. Another being that theyShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Holocaust and the Cambodian Genocide 1201 Words   |  5 Pagesdefinition of genocide is killing a large group of people of a certain origin. The Holocaust was in Germany and started in 1933. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were in charge of the Holocaust. The Cambodian Genocide took place in Cambodia. Cambodia is in Southeast Asia (â€Å"Cambodian†). Pol Pot was the leader of Khmer Rouge and the group was in charge of the Cambodian Genocide (â€Å"Cambodian†). The Cambodian Genocide started in 1975 and ended in 1978 because Khmer Rouge was ended by Vietnam (â€Å"Cambodian†). The HolocaustRead MoreCambodian Genocide Essay1327 Words   |  6 PagesCambodian Genocide Dead bodies everywhere you turn. The smell of gunpowder, filth, and death choke your lungs. You wonder everyday whether it will be your last. All your body feels is pain; all your heart feels is emptiness. One might think this is how life was for Jews during the Jewish Holocaust. In reality, this is how life was for many Cambodians during the reign of Pol Pot between 1975 and 1979. This event, known to many as the Cambodian genocide, left a profound mark on the world around usRead MoreRwanda and Cambodian Genocide Essay2251 Words   |  10 Pagesaction we don’t even move a finger until the situation is out of control. It’s amazing how ignorant and stubborn the human race can be. This is exactly the response of many nations when it comes to genocide. Genocide is the systematic killing of all the people from a national, ethnic, or religious group. Two of the most recent genocides in history are the genocide of Rwanda and the genocide of Cambodia. The genocide of Cambodia started on the year of 1975 and ended on 1979. This is considered the KhmerRead MoreForeign Influence and Its Positive and Negative Impacts1285 Words   |  5 Pagesfighting and hatred. The majority of people believe that there isnt a specific cause for genocide. However – as shown by the Sudanese and Rwandan Genocides—foreign influence, and the absence of it, plays a big role in causing genocide. Before exmaning the effects of foriegn influence in causing genocide, it is important to understand the concepts of foreign influence and genocide. The UN defines genocide any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a nationalRead MoreA Study Of Fiction Can Teach Society Lessons And Provide Warnings Against Past Mistakes From Happening Again2479 Words   |  10 Pagesagain. Acts of genocide and similar atrocities are devastating and unnecessary acts of hatred in the world. Between the years of 1939 and 1945 was one of the world’s largest acts of hatred against a group of people - the Holocaust. In just the span of six years in Germany, approximately eleven million people were killed, six million of them were Jewish. Thirty years after the end of the Holocaust, from 1975 to 1979, was a similar act of mass murder in Cambodia - the Cambodian Genocide by the rebelRead MoreThe Carnage Of The Indians1575 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"unworthyâ⠂¬  victims . . .† (26) Genocides, such as that of the Amerindians, show this grotesque train of thought in human beings. The dehumanization and murder of the Native Americans was nothing more than an action made by the Europeans to show their superiority they believed they possessed. Throughout history, this behavior can be seen in many tyrannical communities, such as those that ruled over the â€Å"Armenians, Jews, Gypsies, Tbos, Bengalis, Timorese, Cambodians, Ugandans, and others.† (4) Although