Lesson

RESOURCES

Read and refer to Chapter 7 as your resource for completing this lesson's assignment.

Ultranationalism and Crimes Against Humanity Summary

What are Crimes Against Humanity?

Genocide

International Criminal Court

Kamikaze Pilots

 

LESSON

The link between ultranationalism and genocide is evident in modern society.  In the modern age people kill each other for various reasons, whether it be for land, resources, ethnicity, etc. However, more frequently, the world is seeing the systematic destruction of a group of people; an act of genocide. Entire groups of people are wiped out because they differ slightly in idea or appearance in comparison to a radical, ultra nationalist party. Often genocide is carried out because of ultranationalism that is present in a group of people, such as the Nazi Holocaust of World War Two, Stalin's inflicted famine in the Ukrainian, and the Hutus executing the genocide in Rwanda.

Famine in Ukraine - 1932-33

1900's Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire and later the 
Soviet Union in 1922

Ukrainians, primarily wealthy farmers, wanted independence for their nation

In the 1920's Joseph Stalin ordered the farmers to give their land to the Communist government and become labourers, but the farmers resisted.

Stalin created a famine by shipping Ukrainian wheat to Russian and then sealing the Ukrainian borders and ensuring no one could get out to buy food.

Soldiers also seized all the seeds so that farmers could not plant from the following season.  Those caught hiding grain were executed.

By 1933 up to seven million Ukrainians had died.  The Soviets kept this famine out of the news.

Read through the Eight Stages of Genocide presentation and complete your own notes

Armenian Genocide


 

Surviving the A Bomb

Bombing of Hiroshima
In May 1945, Germany surrendered and World War II ended in Europe.  But Japanese troops were still fighting in the Pacific.  American leaders were preparing to invade Japan.  The knew the Japanese military's reputation for not giving up, and many believed that Japanese soldiers would fight to the death - so the war would go on and on.  Many people on both sides would die.
So on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.  Three days later, the U.S. dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki - and Japan surrendered.  World War II was over.

Click on the following link and read:
Holocaust, A Call to Conscience