What were the main comparative themes of both genocides
Dehumanisation of victims
Propaganda and media
Stages of persecution leading to genocide
Role of government
Complicity of citizens
Identification and Targeting of victims
International inaction
Human rights violations
Lessons
What did dehumanisation do
It removed empathy and made the atrocities seem acceptable
Dehumanisation of groups
The targeted groups were portrayed as subhuman to justify their persecution and murder, Jews were called vermin and Tutsis were called cockroaches
What were the main forms of propaganda in each genocide
Holocaust: Movies,newspapers,posters and children books
Rwanda: radio and leaflets n
Propaganda and Media
The use of different elements such as… were used to spread the anti-Semitic ideology, and in Rwanda the RTLM broadcast messages using coded language
In both cases proganda normalised hatred and enabled mass murder showing the power of media in shaping beliefs and behaviour, it reinforced the narrative that was already set of both groups
Stages leading to Genocide
Indentfication
Discrimination
Segregation
Extermination
Jews were isolated through the Nuremberg laws and Tutsis were isolated and identified via ID cards
Government and institutions
Played a critical role in organising the mass killing of both groups, the Hutu led government coordinated militias, provided weapons to target Tutsis
Complicity of Citizens
Social pressure, fear or personal gain encouraged compliance. This complicity demonstrates how social norms fear and authority influence human behaviour in extreme situations
Lessons and patterns
These patterns/stages identified helps societies identify early warning signs,challenge prejudice and defend vulnerable populations
What is a One Party state
No voting
No opposition parties
Press censorship
Limited human rights
Propaganda
