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Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
After Hitler was sworn into office of a nation with a Jewish population of 566,000, discrimination began to take place. In May "book burning" began in Berlin. Events escalated to October 1939 when Hitler justified persecution as "euthanasia" of the sick and disabled. -
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Holocaust - Today
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Jewish Liberties Violated
On November 23, 1939, Jewish discrimination officially began in a political sense. General Governor Hans Frank declared that every Jew over the age of 10 living in the General Government was to wear the Star of David on either their chest, back, or arm. Discrimination was made easy because people of Jewish heritage could now easily be identified. -
Brandenburg
The Nazis first gas chamber was located in Bradenburg, near Berlin. The gas chamber was located in a former brick barn in the center of the city disguised as a Chemical and Technical Research Institute. The first killings began in January with the deaths of 20 insane criminals and ended on October 29, 1940 with the deaths of children from a mental home. -
Successful Nazi Propaganda
In order to discredit rumors about the "Final Solution," to kill every Jew, the Nazis permitted the Red Cross to visit Theresiendstadt. In reality this camp was only a transit camp for Jews en route to extermination. In a successful propaganda effort, fake shops and cafés were built to imply the Jews were kept safely in comfort. -
Holocaust Ends
On July 23, 1944, the first major concentration camp, Majdanek was liberated by the Soviets. Auschwitz and many others were soon to follow and the end was near. Hitler, finally realizing his defeat, committed suicide on April 30, 1945; therefore, extinguishing any hopes of a Germany victory. -
Cambodia Struggles Escalate
In 1953, Cambodia won its independence from France. By 1965, King Sihanouk broke off relations with the US in his campaign against the US-backed government in South Vietnam. In 1969 the US began a secret bombing operation on Cambodian soil against North Vietnamese forces. Meanwhile the Cambodian army faces two enemies: communist Khmer Rouge guerillas and the North Vietnamese. -
Hutu and Tutsi Tensions Begin
Led by Grégoire Kayibanda, Hutu nationalists fought for the emancipation of the oppressed Hutu majority in Rwanda. Together, they overthrew the Tutsi monarchy of Mwami Kigeri V in 1961 and appointed a government of Hutus. After its independence in 1962, Kayibanda became the president; by 1965, the Hutus were the only legal party in Rwanda. -
Guatemala Tensions Begin
On July 1, 1970, Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio was elected President of Guatemala. In December he declared a state of emergency and began an "anit-guerilla" campaign. This same campaign allowed harassment and persecution of his political opponents, student leaders, and trade unionists. -
Khmer Rouge Begins
On this date the Cambodian Civil War began when Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, captured Phnom Penh and established the Peoples Republic of Kampuchea. City dwellers were forced to move to the countryside and become agricultural workers. Religion was banned, money was worthless, and basic freedoms were non-existant. -
Red Terror in Ethiopia
On Febuary 3, 1977, Mengistu Haile Mariam seized control of the Derg, thus beginning "Red Terror." During Red Terror, which lasted until 1978 in Ethiopia, over 500,000 people were murdered. Experts estimate that 150,000 university students, intellectuals, and politicians were killed during Mengistu's rule. -
Kosovo Begins
Slobodan Milošević addressed a crowd of Serbians, oppressed by the majority-nationality Albanian government in Kosovo. During the rally, demonstrators outside clashed with the Kosovo-Albanian police force. Slobodan begins to strip rights of autonomy declared in the 1974 constitution. -
Somalian Civil War Begins
After rebels overran his palace, dictator Muhammad Siad Barre fled. Power struggles began between clans and soon Somalia became a place of lawlessness. Opposing clan warlords began to kill thousands of civilians while others were displaced and still others starved to death. The violence continues today. -
Violence in Rwanda Erupts
After, President Habyarimana, a Hutu, was killed, violence immediately erupted in Rwanda. Political leaders as well as anyone else with enough power to take control of the situation were immedicately executed. As many as 800,000 men, women, and children suspected of being Tutsi were brutally murdered by Hutu extremists. -
Rwandan Genocide Ends
Brutal slaughtering between the Tutsi and Hutu had began in April after the assassinations of Rwandan President Habyarimana. By mid-May the Red Cross estimated nearly 500,000 people had been killed. However, UN troops did not arrive until July, claiming to not have known the extent of the situation until then. -
Guatamala Civil War Ends
On June 13, 1966, Guatemala ratified a UN pact on tribal peoples. Later that year, on December 29, The Accord on the Firm and Lasting Peace was signed at the National Palace, ending the 36 year-long civil war. During that period 200,000 people either died or disappeared. -
Khmer Rouge Ends
Pol Pot dies and the Cambodian Civil War ends, but the end of the Khmer Rouge genocide isn't considered over until 1999. During his rule, hundreds of thousands of the educated middle-classes were tortured and executed in special centers. Others starved, or died from disease or exhaustion. -
Conflicts in Darfur Begin
The conflict began when the Justice and Equality Movement and Sudan Liberation Movement/Army took up arms in Darfur against the Sudanese government. The groups accused the government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese peoples. Since an estimated 300,000 people have died; an estimated 50,000 due to starvation. -
Rwanda Re-Construction
In May 2003 Rwandan voters drafted a constitution which banned the provocation of ethnic hatred. In the October election, President Kagame and the Rwandan Patriotic Front won absolute majority. Genocide trials continued as did mass prison releases of those suspected of war crimes during the genocide in order to ease prison overcrowding. In April 2011 Rwanda commemorated the events of 1994. -
Kosovo Independence
On June 10, 1999 the Kosovo War ended and became a UN governed province. In 2008, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. ON April 15, the Constitution of Kosovo was adopted by the government. -
World Involvement in Darfur
In September 2006, President Bush gave a speech to the UN identifying the “unspeakable violence” and “atrocities” in Darfur as genocide. In February 2007, ICC Prosecutor presented evidence on 51 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including the murder, rape, torture, and persecution of civilians in Darfur. Finally, on July 9, 2011, South Sudan became the newest country in the world following the completion of the interim period mandated by the United Nations Mission in the Sudan.
