Defining Documents in World History: Genocide & The Holocaust

Genocide is the deliberate destruction of a national, ethnic, or religious group. While this has occurred throughout history, one of the most well-known genocides is the holocaust of WW II -- Nazi efforts to eliminate millions of Jews, while also persecuting Poles, Rom (Gypsies), and other groups.

Before them, the Armenians suffered a similar fate under Turkey. More recent examples of genocidal action are the ethnic cleansing that took place under the Serbs in Bosnia and Kosovo; the Hutu slaughter of the Tutsi minority in Rwanda in 1994; the attempt by the Islamic State in Iraq to eliminate the Yazidis; and the mass killing and expulsion of the Rohingya in Myanmar. Chinas attempt to erase the culture of the Uighurs is a case of ethnocide -- a genocide component that exterminates national cultures. In the Americas, too, genocidal campaigns were waged against Native American peoples.

Ancient and modern documents are examined in-depth throughout these two volumes, including:

• Holocaust testimonies
• The Evian Conference
• World Jewish Conference
• Bosnian War Cables
• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
• Excerpts from the Genocide Archive of Rwanda Collection
• Trial transcripts
• Political speeches

In-depth chapters provide a thorough commentary and analysis of each primary source document, often reprinted in its entirety. Commentary includes a Summary, Overview, Defining Moment, Author Biography, detailed Document Analysis, and discussion of Essential Themes.

Designed for high school and college students, the goal of these volumes is to carefully study genocide throughout world history, to give students a frame of reference on how to understand and comprehend what has happened in our past, and what to be aware of in the future. See more