Genocide Project

                

 

Never Again?
       
An Internet WebQuest on Genocide
         

'In Germany, they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Trade Unionists. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and no one was left to speak up.' (attributed to Pastor Martin Niemoeller, Dachau, Germany, 1941)

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” -- Edmund Burke

The extermination of over 6 million Jews during the Holocaust shook the world a thousand times over.  People from every corner of the globe, who felt slapped in the face by the atrocities that were committed in Europe, vowed to never allow it to happen again.  In 1979, President Jimmy Carter said that, "we must forge an unshakable oath with all civilized people that never again will the world stand silent, never again will the world fail to act in time to prevent this terrible crime of genocide."  Only five years later, Ronald Reagan vowed, "Like you, I say in a forthright voice, 'Never again!'"  George Bush Sr. also gave the creed his support, saying that he possessed, "the determination, not just to remember, but also to act."   President after President voiced his promise that the United States would never forget.  Even Clinton voiced his resolve, declaring that, "if the horrors of the Holocaust taught us anything...it is the high cost of remaining silent and paralyzed in the face of genocide."  Did we learn our lesson?  Did we keep our promises?   Ask the victims of the genocides in Cambodia (1975), Iraq (1987), Bosnia (1992), Rwanda (1994), Kosovo (1998),  and several others.  Why does this promise seem to be the easiest to make and yet the hardest to keep? 

Quotations taken from  Power, Samantha.  "A Problem from Hell:"  America and the Age of Genocide..  New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2002.   

 

 Introduction:
   
        A few years ago, you were asked to be a member of a committee created to discuss the ongoing problem of genocide and determine ways to solve this problem. Thinking that sounded like a good, humanitarian thing to do, you agreed.  In the last few years, however, not much has been accomplished by your committee.  Like so many times in the past, conflicts like genocide are pushed to the side in order to combat more immediate issues, such as hurricane relief and terrorism.  But recently, it has come to the attention of the committee that once again, the issue of genocide is a priority.  One of the ways to prevent genocide is to inform others and share these memories to prevent it from happening again.

Your committee has a huge task ahead of you.  Your goal is to begin to understand why genocide happens and what can be done to stop it.  in order to accomplish this goal, several tasks need to be completed by your committee.

Task 1:   In order to prevent genocide, your committee needs to know exactly what it is.  As a committee, you must write a detailed belief statement defining genocide.  This statement should be your interpretation of the the United Nations Convention on Prevention of Genocide.  You may also want to look at other definitions as well.

Task 2:  Once the definition of genocide has been established, you need to adopt a post-WWII genocide to become an expert on.  Some examples include: Cambodia, Rwanda, and the indigenous people in Guatemala.  Each member needs to complete the following research questions about his/her specific genocide:
   
A.  Research the details of the genocide:  Who were the key people/groups?  What was the conflict?  Where did the conflict take place?  When did the genocide occur and for how long?  How did the perpetrators accomplish the genocide?
B.  Research the reasons behind the genocide:  Why did this genocide take place?  What events led to the genocide? Identify the different stages of genocide within this incident in the body of your essay.


 

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Tasks:
 

Action 1: Write a research report to inform the public about the atrocities  committed against human beings in our world.

Action 2:   As a committee, you must prepare a public presentation of your findings.  In this presentations, you need to thoroughly inform the public about the genocide you chose.   Your presentation needs to summarize the conflict in the country you chose and explain your committee's conclusions about genocide.  State what lesson can be learned from the genocide:  How could have this genocide been prevented?
 This presentation should be 5-10 minutes in length and should include at least one visual aid (map, chart, graph, etc.)  Every member should participate in the presentation. 

All of your individual and group work is due at the time of your presentation.  Late work will not be accepted.

RESEARCH REPORT RUBRIC                               RESEARCH PROJECT CHECKBRIC
 

 

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The Resources:

Here is a list of resources to help you get started. 

• Legal Definitions of Crimes against Peace, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity
   
• History of Genocide
   
• Eight stages of genocide
   
• Should the legal definition of genocide be expanded?
   
• Human Rights Search Engine
   
• Law Library on Human Rights

• Genocide in Cambodia 1
• Genocide in Cambodia 2
• Primary Resources Genocide in Cambodia 3
• Genocide in Cambodia 4
   
• Genocide in Rwanda 1
• Genocide in Rwanda 2

• Before the Rwanda Genocide

• Background and Statistics
• Rwanda Background
• How it happened
• Rwanda History
• The Man Behind the Genocide
• Trial
• Primary Sources
• Statistics
• Effects of the Genocide
   
• Genocide of the Mayans of Guatemala 1 
• Primary Resources Guatemala 2
• Primary Resources Guatemala Victims
• Primary Sources & Information Guatemala Genocide

Armenian Genocide

• Facts Armenian Genocide
• Background
• Primary Resources and background

Conclusion

So, what are you going to do now?  Are you going to join the voices screaming "Never Again!" only to break your promises when things get complicated?  Are you willing to stand up for someone you have never met, someone that is different from you in most respects, yet someone with which you share a bond of humanity?  The only way that we can truthfully say, "Never Again!" is if we do something to prevent it from ever happening again.  I hope that this WebQuest has taught you a hard lesson about the dangers of racism and hatred, and the price of complicity and fear.  It is time to put our fear aside and act for the good of humanity.  Don't be an average American.  Become a loud, insistent voice for those who are being silenced.