by Josh Owens

Created on: February 02, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

Chalk and Jonassohn define "genocide" as "one sided systematical killing of a group with members of that group to be determined by the perpetrators". The types of genocide are different and are determined by the group carrying the genocide out. First there are two styles of genocide, rolling- that happens over time and then volcanic-that has sudden eruptions of violence. Then come what I call sub-categories of genocide, which there are 4 categories. Type 1, which is the elimination of a potential future threat. A good example of this would be the Romans and Carthage. Rome viewed Carthage as a potential threat not immediate, but enough of a threat. Type 2 is genocide by terror, which can be attributed to the Assyrians. They would simply kill certain groups to keep their allies and others in line. Type 3 genocide, is for economic wealth, meaning killing a group or groups of people for land, wealth or resources. A few examples would be European travelers to America in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They came to America and took land and resources from the Native Americans and simply killed many of them. Type 4 genocide is what I call total destruction or annihilation. This is where a group is totally destroyed, or was forced to a minimum. The Armenians in Turkey 1915, the Nazis and the Jews during WWII and Cambodia under Pol Pot. It also needs to be said that all of the 4 types of genocides have happened in the 20th century, and that type 1 genocides were more from antiquity. The term genocide' was coined after WWII to put a word to the horrible things that happened to the Jews; also it was coined by Raphael Lemkin. There are other words and phrases related to genocide. Holocaust was used strictly for the Jews during WWII. Then there is ethnic cleansing, where a group is not necessarily killed, but simply removed from a certain area. There have been many other genocides or possible genocides that do not get much attention. For example, the genocide in Rwanda had no attention until it was too late, and even then the attention was minor. In my opinion there have been accidental genocides. An example would be when the Europeans settled in the new world and brought over all new disease which killed thousands of Native Americans.

Learn more about this author, Josh Owens.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.