The Holocaust The most recognized case of genocide The word “Holocaust,” from the Greek words “holos” (whole) and “kaustos” (burned), was historically used to describe a sacrificial offering burned on an altar. Since 1945, the word has taken on a new and horrible meaning: the mass murder of some 6 million European Jews (as well as members of some other persecuted groups, such as Gypsies and homosexuals) by the German Nazi regime during the Second World War. To Adolf Hitler, Jews were an inferior race, a threat to German racial purity and community. There is evidence of hostility toward Jews long before the Holocaust–even as far back as the ancient world, when Roman authorities destroyed the Jewish temple in Jerusalem and forced Jews to leave Palestine.

Other examples of 20 th Century World Genocides

Facts about the Armenian Genocide Victim: Persecutor: Date: WHY? 5 facts about genocide: World Response? Effects

In the past, American news was reluctant to use the word “genocide” to describe Turkey’s crimes. The phrase “Armenian genocide” did not appear in the New York Times until

Facts about the Cambodian Genocide: Victim: Persecutor: Date: WHY? 5 facts about genocide: World Response? Effects

Facts about the Bosnian Genocide Victim: Persecutor: Date: WHY? 5 facts about genocide: World Response? Effects

Facts about the Rwandan Genocide Victim: Persecutor: Date: WHY? 5 facts about genocide: World Response? Effects

Facts about the Genocide in Darfur Victim: Persecutor: Date: WHY? 5 facts about genocide: World Response? Effects /