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Mass Atrocities After 1900

Driving Question: What were the causes and effects of mass atrocities after 1900?

Many had hopefully called World War I “the war to end all wars.” Three decades later, as the dust settled on World War II, many things had ended—among them the colonial system, somewhere between 70 and 85 million lives, and any sense of security that might have come with living in a world where the Holocaust had not happened. In this lesson, you will analyze multiple mass atrocities that occurred during the twentieth century, keeping in mind that the best way to guard against future atrocities is to understand what caused them in the past.

Learning Objectives

  1. Explain the various causes and consequences of mass atrocities in the period from 1900 to the present.
  2. Understand and evaluate the causes, scale, and consequences of mass atrocities after 1900.
  3. Analyze primary source documents to evaluate the economic crises and how governments responded in the interwar period.

Vocab Terms:

  • anti-semitism
  • atrocity
  • casualty
  • concentration camp
  • genocide
  • total war
STEP 1

Opener: Mass Atrocities After 1900

STEP 2

Armenian Genocide

During World War I, the Ottoman government targeted Armenian communities, claiming they were a national threat. From 1915 to 1917, over one million Armenians were killed through forced displacement, labor camps, and mass executions, sparking international outrage.

Armenian Genocide External link

While World War I was raging across the world, the Ottoman Empire attacked its Armenian minority. Millions were murdered and displaced in the Armenian genocide.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 3

The Holocaust

The horror of the Holocaust must never be forgotten, not least because remembrance is essential in preventing such a tragedy from ever happening again.

STEP 4

Why Does Genocide Still Happen?

Since the end of World War II and the establishment of the United Nations, genocides have continued to occur around the world. Historian Bennett Sherry asks why, and arrives at some unsettling conclusions including international indifference.

STEP 5

Graphic Biography: Manuel Quezon

People display compassion and courage in different ways. For Manuel Quezon, it meant doing the right thing, despite critics, who would disagree.