History 135 Midterm

Due October 18, 2005

History 135 – Modern Genocide, Fall 2005

Midterm

Please write on two of the following three topics. You entire essay (responses to both questions) should not exceed five double-spaced pages in length. Remember to make use of the literature you have read up to now, the course lectures and sections, and any other works of scholarship you may be familiar with. In citing secondary or primary sources, remember to provide clear references (author, title, publisher, date of publication, and page number).

Please DO NOT use materials from the Internet without clear identification of the source. DO NOT cite texts without using inverted commas and appropriate attribution. Copying of texts from the Internet is considered plagiarism.

1. Analyze the unique features of colonial genocide and the genocides of indigenous peoples with special emphasis on the case of the Herero in German Southwest Africa. Try to refer to the following points:
   1. The impact of different colonial economies on relations with the indigenous population
   2. The role of preconceived images of race and culture in the encounter with indigenous peoples
   3. The relationship between conceptions of rule and power in the home country and the implementation of colonial policies
   4. The influence of ideas and practices imported back from the colonies on the colonizers’ home countries

2. Examine the main features and characteristics of the Armenian genocide with reference to the following points:
   1. The relationship between the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and violence toward the Armenians
   2. The relationship between World War I and the genocide of the Armenians
   3. The role of nationalist Turkish ideology
   4. The impact of the “international community” on Ottoman policies vis-à-vis the Armenians
   5. The arguments for and against describing this event as a genocide

3. The Holocaust has been seen as the ultimate example of modern genocide. Conversely, the genocide carried out by the Pol Pot regime in Kampuchea has been used as evidence that communism was just as capable of genocidal practices as Nazism/fascism. What are the similarities and what are the differences between these two events? How do they illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the United Nation’s definition of genocide?

Remember that your exam is due back no later than October 18.

Good luck!