What Is Genocide

“What is Genocide?” The term genocide has been one of the most used terms in many on-going debates since the early 20th century. The Holocaust, which took place during World War II, is one of the most common cases of acts of genocide and is a main reason why the term genocide exists. Other widely known cases of genocide are the Rwandan genocide and the Armenian genocide. The question, however, that many historians and those with interests in genocide ask, is exactly what is genocide? Since first being “coined” by Raphael Lemkin, there have been several different definitions of the term. It is these different versions of a description of genocide that have led people to try to figure out what the correct form of the definition should be and how we can use it to try and prevent it from happening. When considering genocide and what it is, one must define it containing three aspects. A definition of genocide must have a mode, an object, and an actor. Initially, I would describe genocide as the intended mass killing of a specific group of people by another party for a desired result. However, there are problems with this definition. This definition is vague as it does not specify a type of reason behind the action being performed. If someone is to commit genocide, there must be a particular reason why an act as violent as this should be committed. Also, the definition does not say why the specific group being targeted are being targeted in the first place. What is it that singles out the specific group of people to be targets of genocide and is it such a difference that the actor must act with genocide? It is this question that has led people to consider other factors in genocide. In a group consensus I was a part of, genocide was agreed to be defined as the intent to destroy or eliminate a defenseless or weak group of people based on their ethnic, religious, national or political background by an organized group. This seems like a more practical definition of