What the exam asks
- Causation: Explain why extremist groups gained power and how they used state authority to target specific populations.
- Comparison: Compare the contexts (total war, totalitarian ideology, decolonization) and consequences of mass atrocities across different regions.
- Themes: Governance (GOV) and Social Interactions and Organization (SIO)—specifically how states defined national, ethnic, or class identity and used bureaucratic power to exclude or destroy targeted groups.
Core ideas
Extremism, ideology, and state power
Mass atrocities after 1900 were rarely spontaneous; they were organized by states or extremist factions that seized state power. Three main drivers interacted to produce these atrocities:
- Extremist ideologies: Ultranationalism, racial supremacy (such as Nazi racial hierarchy), or radical communist social engineering.
- Crisis or war: Total war and severe economic or political instability radicalized regimes, provided cover for violence, and allowed leaders to scapegoat minority groups as internal enemies.
- Modern state bureaucracy and technology: Census data, railroads, state-controlled media (such as radio propaganda), and industrial weaponry enabled states to identify, transport, and kill targeted populations systematically.