7.8 Mass Atrocities

Essential Question: Causes and consequences of mass atrocities (1900-present).
Key Atrocities:
- Armenian genocide (1915-1923): 1.5 million Armenians killed, initiated by Ottoman Empire.
- Holocaust (1941-1945): 6 million Jews murdered, led by Nazi Germany.
- Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot: 1.6 to 1.8 million deaths.
- Rwandan genocide (1994): 500,000 to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus killed.
- Sudanese genocide in Darfur (2003): Over 200,000 killed, primarily non-Arab Africans.

United States entered WWI in 1917; vast casualties: 8-9 million military deaths, 21 million wounded.
Total civilian casualties estimated at 6-13 million.
Non-combatant civilians targeted openly for the first time.
Armenian genocide: deportation and execution of Armenians by Ottomans resulted in 600,000 to 1.5 million deaths.

War casualties estimated at 40-50 million, with civilian casualties from various causes surpassing military casualties.
Allied firebombing of cities like Hamburg and Dresden resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths.
Development and use of nuclear weapons introduced unprecedented mass destruction capabilities.

Failure of the global community to prevent genocides post-Holocaust, including those in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur.
Importance of international organizations (e.g., International Criminal Court) to address and sanction such atrocities.

Despite the lessons learned from past atrocities, similar atrocities continued, demonstrating ongoing challenges in upholding human rights and effectively responding to genocide.