Democide
Everyone knows about the holocaust in which Nazi Germany killed about 6 million Jews, but few are aware of that there have been many even worse examples of the mass murder of people by totalitarian governments. For example the Soviet Union murdered about 62 million people, the People’s Republic of China about 35 million, Japan about 6 million and many other countries including the UK murdered hundreds of thousands or millions more [1].
There have been various causes of these mass murders to which the word “genocide” does not strictly apply. Genocide is defined by the United Nations Genocide Convention as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”. [2]
But, for example, Lenin wrote in one of his notes to a leading Red Army commissar: ‘A beautiful plan. Finish it off with Dzerzhinsky. Under the guise of “Greens” we shall go forward and hang the kulaks, priests and landowners. Bounty: 100,000 roubles for each man hanged’. [3] [4]
Genocide might not apply to this. Indeed, there are many disputes over whether the term genocide can be applied to mass murders. A well-known case is Bosnian genocide denial [5].
A student of the subject of mass murder by governments, R.J. Rummel, suggests that the word “democide” be used to describe the murder of any person or people by a government. [6]
But whatever we call them, mass murders by governments are totally unacceptable and need to be recognised, punished, remembered and if possible prevented. Perhaps the United Nations should declare a Democide Remembrance Day. On 7 November 2003 the General Assembly published a letter signed by 25 member states addressed to the Secretary-General which said, in part:
In the former Soviet Union millions of men, women and children fell victims to the cruel actions and policies of the totalitarian regime. The Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine (Holodomor), which took from 7 million to 10 million innocent lives and became a national tragedy for the Ukrainian people. In this regard we note activities in observance of the seventieth anniversary of this Famine, in particular organized by the Government of Ukraine.
Honouring the seventieth anniversary of the Ukrainian tragedy, we also commemorate the memory of millions of Russians, Kazakhs and representatives of other nationalities who died of starvation in the Volga River region, Northern Caucasus, Kazakhstan and in other parts of the former Soviet Union, as a result of civil war and forced collectivization, leaving deep scars in the consciousness of future generations.
Expressing sympathy to the victims of the Great Famine, we call upon all Member States, the United Nations and its special agencies, international and regional organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations, foundations and associations to pay tribute to the memory of those who perished during that tragic period of history. [7] [8]
Since 2006, Ukraine has officially observed a Holodomor Remembrance Day on the fourth Saturday of November.
References
[1] Table 1.2 in Death By Government by R.J. Rummel.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide
[3] Conquest, Robert. The Harvest of Sorrow (pp. 50-51). Random House.
[4] At that time kulak was used of a farmer with two or three cows, or even of a poorer farmer friendly to the first. Conquest, Robert ibid (p. 5).
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_genocide_denial