Which, if any, of the four atrocity crimes that you read about, would you define as genocide? Explain your answer by including examples from the atrocity crimes that you read about and by referencing the definition.
Genocide can be defined as the intentional actions to destroy a specific group, usually based on ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion. In the four atrocity crimes that were read about, the Holocaust would be the clearest example of genocide.
During the Holocaust, six million Jews were systematically exterminated by the Nazis in an organized and deliberate campaign. Jews were targeted solely because of their ethnicity, in an attempt to eliminate them from existence. The atrocities committed during the Holocaust, including mass shootings, gas chambers, forced labor, and medical experiments, all fit the definition of genocide.
The other atrocity crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, while also egregious and deserving of condemnation, do not specifically target a group for complete annihilation based on their identity. Genocide stands out as the most extreme form of atrocity crime, as it seeks the total elimination of a particular group.