Ten Stages of Genocide
11th and 12th Grade Literature and Informational Reading Texts
1) Classification- This stage occurs when people categorize people in their society to distinguish, "us and them". All cultures have categories to distinguish people into "us and them" by ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality. This isn't inherently dangerous, if a society possesses cultural pluralism. Culturally pluralistic societies encourage smaller groups within a larger society to maintain their unique cultural identities, and their values and embrace and accepted these differences. These are in contrast to bi-communal societies that attach negative stigmas to diverse groups. These societies are the most likely to have genocide. The main preventive measure at this early stage is to develop institutions that actively promote tolerance and understanding. This search for common ground is vital to early prevention of genocide.
2) Symbolization- This is when names and/or symbols are forced upon people to designate an inferior status. Names or other symbols to the classifications distinguish people by colors or dress; and apply the symbols to members of groups. Like classification, symbolization does not necessarily result in genocide unless they lead to dehumanization. When combined with hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwilling members of unwanted groups. To combat symbolization, hate symbols can be legally forbidden as can hate speech, if supported by popular cultural enforcement.
3) Discrimination- This is when the group that has hegemony, or dominance within a society uses law, custom, and political power to deny the rights of other groups. The powerless group may not be accorded full civil rights, voting rights, or even citizenship. The dominant group is driven by an exclusionary ideology that would deprive less powerful groups of their rights and legitimizes the victimization of weaker groups. Advocates of exclusionary ideologies are often populist, and charismatic. They express and exacerbate resentments of their followers that attracts support from the masses. Prevention against discrimination means full political empowerment and citizenship rights for all groups in a society. Discrimination on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, race or religion are all forms of discrimination.
4) Dehumanization- This step occurs when one group denies the humanity of the other group. Members of the subjugated people are equated with animals, vermin, insects, or diseases by the people oppressing them. Dehumanization overcomes the normal revulsion against murder. At this stage, hate propaganda in media is used to vilify the victim group. The dominant group is taught to regard the minority group as less than human, and even alien to their society. This creates the perception of the subjugated group so depersonalized that they are actually given numbers rather than names. To combat dehumanization, incitement to genocide should not be confused with protected speech. Genocidal societies lack constitutional protection for countervailing speech, and should be treated differently than democracies. Local and international leaders should condemn the use of hate speech and make it culturally unacceptable. Leaders who incite genocide should be banned from international travel and have their foreign finances frozen. Hate crimes and atrocities should be promptly punished in order to prevent further wrongdoings by the perpetrators.
5) Organization- This is the step where plans become formalized in order to commit genocidal acts. Genocide is always organized, usually by the state, often using militias to free the state of responsibility. Arms are purchased by states and militias, often in violation of international law, to facilitate acts of genocide. States organize secret police to spy on, arrest, torture, and murder people suspected of opposition to political leaders. Special training is given to murderous militias and special army killing units. To combat this stage, membership in genocidal militias should be outlawed. Their leaders should be denied visas for foreign travel and their foreign assets frozen. International organizations should impose arms embargoes on governments and citizens of countries involved in genocidal massacres, and create commissions to investigate violations.
6) Polarization- When extremists drive groups apart and separate targeted people from their homes this signifies the movement into the sixth step. Also during this stage, hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda. Laws may forbid intermarriage and/or social interaction. Extremist terrorism targets moderates, intimidating and silencing the center. Moderates from the perpetrators' own group are most able to stop genocide, so are the first to be arrested and killed. Prevention may mean security protection for moderate leaders or assistance to human rights groups. Assets of extremists may be seized, and visas for international travel denied to them. Coups d'état by extremists should be opposed by international sanctions in order to prevent escalation by potentially genocidal regimes.
7) Preparation- This stage occurs when victims are identified and separated out and death lists are drawn up. National or perpetrator group leaders plan the final destruction of the targeted group of people. Euphemisms are often used to cloak their intentions, such as referring to their goals as "ethnic cleansing," "purification," or "counter-terrorism." Perpetrators then build armies, buy weapons and train their troops and militias. They indoctrinate the populace with fear of the victim group. Leaders often claim that "if we don't kill them, they will kill us." Prevention of preparation may include arms embargos and commissions to enforce them. It should include prosecution of incitement and conspiracy to commit genocide by International bodies of law.
8) Persecution- At this stage victims because of their ethnic or religious identity are subjected to significant mistreatment ranging from humiliation and assault to outright murder. Property is often expropriated. Sometimes subjugated people are segregated into ghettoes, deported into concentration camps, or confined to a famine-struck region and starved. At this stage, a Genocide Emergency must be declared. If the political will of the great powers, regional alliances, or the U.N. Security Council can be mobilized, armed international intervention should be prepared, or heavy assistance provided to the victim group to prepare for its self-defense. Humanitarian assistance should be organized by the U.N. and private relief groups for the inevitable tide of refugees to come.
9) Extermination- This stage begins when the victims are killed in mass. It is deemed, "extermination" by the killers because they do not believe their victims to be fully human. When killing is sponsored by the state, the armed forces often work with militias to do the killing. At this stage, only rapid and overwhelming armed intervention can stop genocide. Safe areas or refugee escape corridors should be established with heavily armed international protection. It becomes international responsibility to provide troops to intervene directly, and provide the airlifts, equipment, and financial means necessary for regional states to intervene.
10) Denial- When perpetrators deny they committed any crimes, and often blame what happened on the victims. They block investigations of the crimes, make false claims, and place the genocide in another construct such as war, self-defense, or a necessary preemptive measure. Denial is the final stage that lasts throughout and always follows genocide. It is among the surest indicators of further genocidal massacres. The perpetrators of genocide dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies, try to cover up the evidence and intimidate the witnesses. Response to denial needs to be punishment by an international tribunal or national courts. There the evidence can be heard, and the perpetrators punished. Political will has to be such where perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted in order to be brought to justice.
2) Symbolization- This is when names and/or symbols are forced upon people to designate an inferior status. Names or other symbols to the classifications distinguish people by colors or dress; and apply the symbols to members of groups. Like classification, symbolization does not necessarily result in genocide unless they lead to dehumanization. When combined with hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwilling members of unwanted groups. To combat symbolization, hate symbols can be legally forbidden as can hate speech, if supported by popular cultural enforcement.
3) Discrimination- This is when the group that has hegemony, or dominance within a society uses law, custom, and political power to deny the rights of other groups. The powerless group may not be accorded full civil rights, voting rights, or even citizenship. The dominant group is driven by an exclusionary ideology that would deprive less powerful groups of their rights and legitimizes the victimization of weaker groups. Advocates of exclusionary ideologies are often populist, and charismatic. They express and exacerbate resentments of their followers that attracts support from the masses. Prevention against discrimination means full political empowerment and citizenship rights for all groups in a society. Discrimination on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, race or religion are all forms of discrimination.
4) Dehumanization- This step occurs when one group denies the humanity of the other group. Members of the subjugated people are equated with animals, vermin, insects, or diseases by the people oppressing them. Dehumanization overcomes the normal revulsion against murder. At this stage, hate propaganda in media is used to vilify the victim group. The dominant group is taught to regard the minority group as less than human, and even alien to their society. This creates the perception of the subjugated group so depersonalized that they are actually given numbers rather than names. To combat dehumanization, incitement to genocide should not be confused with protected speech. Genocidal societies lack constitutional protection for countervailing speech, and should be treated differently than democracies. Local and international leaders should condemn the use of hate speech and make it culturally unacceptable. Leaders who incite genocide should be banned from international travel and have their foreign finances frozen. Hate crimes and atrocities should be promptly punished in order to prevent further wrongdoings by the perpetrators.
5) Organization- This is the step where plans become formalized in order to commit genocidal acts. Genocide is always organized, usually by the state, often using militias to free the state of responsibility. Arms are purchased by states and militias, often in violation of international law, to facilitate acts of genocide. States organize secret police to spy on, arrest, torture, and murder people suspected of opposition to political leaders. Special training is given to murderous militias and special army killing units. To combat this stage, membership in genocidal militias should be outlawed. Their leaders should be denied visas for foreign travel and their foreign assets frozen. International organizations should impose arms embargoes on governments and citizens of countries involved in genocidal massacres, and create commissions to investigate violations.
6) Polarization- When extremists drive groups apart and separate targeted people from their homes this signifies the movement into the sixth step. Also during this stage, hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda. Laws may forbid intermarriage and/or social interaction. Extremist terrorism targets moderates, intimidating and silencing the center. Moderates from the perpetrators' own group are most able to stop genocide, so are the first to be arrested and killed. Prevention may mean security protection for moderate leaders or assistance to human rights groups. Assets of extremists may be seized, and visas for international travel denied to them. Coups d'état by extremists should be opposed by international sanctions in order to prevent escalation by potentially genocidal regimes.
7) Preparation- This stage occurs when victims are identified and separated out and death lists are drawn up. National or perpetrator group leaders plan the final destruction of the targeted group of people. Euphemisms are often used to cloak their intentions, such as referring to their goals as "ethnic cleansing," "purification," or "counter-terrorism." Perpetrators then build armies, buy weapons and train their troops and militias. They indoctrinate the populace with fear of the victim group. Leaders often claim that "if we don't kill them, they will kill us." Prevention of preparation may include arms embargos and commissions to enforce them. It should include prosecution of incitement and conspiracy to commit genocide by International bodies of law.
8) Persecution- At this stage victims because of their ethnic or religious identity are subjected to significant mistreatment ranging from humiliation and assault to outright murder. Property is often expropriated. Sometimes subjugated people are segregated into ghettoes, deported into concentration camps, or confined to a famine-struck region and starved. At this stage, a Genocide Emergency must be declared. If the political will of the great powers, regional alliances, or the U.N. Security Council can be mobilized, armed international intervention should be prepared, or heavy assistance provided to the victim group to prepare for its self-defense. Humanitarian assistance should be organized by the U.N. and private relief groups for the inevitable tide of refugees to come.
9) Extermination- This stage begins when the victims are killed in mass. It is deemed, "extermination" by the killers because they do not believe their victims to be fully human. When killing is sponsored by the state, the armed forces often work with militias to do the killing. At this stage, only rapid and overwhelming armed intervention can stop genocide. Safe areas or refugee escape corridors should be established with heavily armed international protection. It becomes international responsibility to provide troops to intervene directly, and provide the airlifts, equipment, and financial means necessary for regional states to intervene.
10) Denial- When perpetrators deny they committed any crimes, and often blame what happened on the victims. They block investigations of the crimes, make false claims, and place the genocide in another construct such as war, self-defense, or a necessary preemptive measure. Denial is the final stage that lasts throughout and always follows genocide. It is among the surest indicators of further genocidal massacres. The perpetrators of genocide dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies, try to cover up the evidence and intimidate the witnesses. Response to denial needs to be punishment by an international tribunal or national courts. There the evidence can be heard, and the perpetrators punished. Political will has to be such where perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted in order to be brought to justice.