1. Ultranationalism and Genocide
Chapter 9
Ultranationalism and Genocide

2. Questions to Consider
What is the relationship between ultranationalism and genocide?
How do those who carry out genocide justify their actions?
What is the relationship between genocide and ethnocide (or cultural genocide)?

3. Genocide in Brief
“Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than you own comes first”
- Charles de Gaulle
Do you agree or disagree?
At what point does nationalism provoke violence between nations?
Genocide Watch, demonstrates the contemporary relevance of this issue. Why?

4. Nazi Ultranationalism
What is a Nazi and what is Nazism?
Conditions in Germany were desperate.
German and Nazi National Interests
How did these contribute to genocide?
The Enabling Act, what is this similar to?
Racial superiority and scapegoating

5. Hitler What factors led to Hitler’s rise to power?
How can a crisis turn nationalism into ultranationalism?
Hitler’s two main goals:
Establishment of a central European empire
The elimination of the Jewish people
The latter was carried out under the guise of the first

6. The Holocaust Anti-Semitism was not a new idea
perceived to have had a long tradition in Europe
Early efforts were not effective enough, and so in a final solution is put into place
Called for the systematic extermination of all Jewish people
Made easier by the existence of ghettos
6 million Jewish people murdered
How could this have been allowed to happen?

7. Famine in the Ukraine
Stalin assumes leadership of the Soviet Union in 1927
Wanted to create a militarily powerful and industrially strong country
Attempted to rid the U.S.S.R of ‘undesirables’
His rule resulted in some 30 million deaths
Ukraine becomes a part of the Soviet Union in 1917, and is, at first, allowed to remain culturally distinct

8. Famine in the Ukraine Cont’d
The goal of centralizing power, however, led to the ‘Russification’ of the Ukraine
Russia took control of Ukrainian land – protests and arrests followed
In an effort to gain control of an important region, Stalin exiled or killed many kulaks
Ukraine’s food sources were then confiscated and its borders sealed, creating a man-made famine
Became known as the Holodomor, 7 million Ukrainians died during this genocide

9. Genocide in Rwanda
Rwanda, a small country of about 9 million in the heart of Africa
A Belgian colony until 1962
Home to two tribes, the Hutus and Tutsis
Most Rwandans were Hutus
The Belgians favoured the Tutsis, who then became a more privileged class
Tutsis came to be viewed as oppressors

10. Genocide in Rwanda Cont’d
Hutus came into power in 1962, when Rwanda became independent
Infighting between the tribes resulted in a civil war from 1990 to 1993
UN helped negotiate a temporary peace agreement, but this ended on April 6, 1994
Blaming Tutsis for killing the president, Hutus began exterminating Tutsis and sympathizers
In 100 days of genocide, 800,000 Tutsis were murdered with little international intervention

11. Concluding Thoughts
How have ultranationalist feelings contributed to pursuit of genocide in each of these cases?
Ultranationalism and violence often go hand-in- hand. What is it about ultranationalism, how it is created or how it is demonstrated, that creates this situation?
There are benefits to nationalism. Are they any positive aspects of ultranationalism?