I suspect that the reason we have stronger prohibitions against genocide than against random mass murder of equivalent size is not that genocide is worse, but that it is more common.
I suspect that’s not actually true. The communist governments killed a lot of people in a (mostly) non-genocidal manner.
The reason we have stronger prohibitions against genocide is the same reason we have stronger prohibitions against the swastika than against the hammer and sickle. Namely, the Nazis were defeated and no longer able to defend their actions in debates while the communists had a lot of time to produce propaganda.
But only one of them got big media attention. Which made it the evil.
Cynically speaking: if you want the world to not pay attention to a genocide, (a) don’t do it in a first-world country, and (b) don’t do it during the war with other side which can make condemning the genocide part of their propaganda, especially if at the end you lose the war.
I suspect that’s not actually true. The communist governments killed a lot of people in a (mostly) non-genocidal manner.
The reason we have stronger prohibitions against genocide is the same reason we have stronger prohibitions against the swastika than against the hammer and sickle. Namely, the Nazis were defeated and no longer able to defend their actions in debates while the communists had a lot of time to produce propaganda.
Wait, what? Did considering genocide more heinous than regular mass murder only start with the end of WWII?
For that it’s worth, the word genocide may been invented to describe what the Nazis did—anyone have OED access to check for earlier cites?
It existed before, but it’s use really picked up after WWII.
Unfortunately, genocides happen all the time.
But only one of them got big media attention. Which made it the evil.
Cynically speaking: if you want the world to not pay attention to a genocide, (a) don’t do it in a first-world country, and (b) don’t do it during the war with other side which can make condemning the genocide part of their propaganda, especially if at the end you lose the war.