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Century of Genocide: Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts
Through powerful first-person accounts, scholarly analyses and historical data, Century of Genocide takes on the task of explaining how and why genocides have been perpetrated throughout the course of the twentieth century. The book assembles a group of international scholars to discuss the causes, results, and ramifications of these from the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire; to the Jews, Romani, and the mentally and physically handicapped during the Holocaust; and genocides in East Timor, Bangladesh, and Cambodia. The second edition has been fully updated and features new chapters on the genocide in the former Yugoslavia and the mass killing of the Kurds in Iraq, as well as a chapter on the question of whether or not the situation in Kosovo constituted genocide. It concludes with an essay concerning methods of intervention and prevention of future genocide.
532 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1997
About the author
Samuel Totten
79 books11 followersSamuel Totten is a genocide scholar, Professor of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, a Member of the Council of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide, Jerusalem.
Samuel Totten earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree at Teachers College, Columbia University.[2]
In 2004, he served as an investigator on the U.S. State Department's Darfur Atrocities Documentation Project.
In 2005 he became one of the chief co-editors of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, the official journal of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS).[3]
In 2008 He served as a Fulbright Scholar at the Centre for Conflict Management, National University of Rwanda.
Between 2004 and 2011, he conducted research along the Chad/Darfur, Sudan border into the genocide perpetrated by the Government of Sudan in Darfur. Between 2010 and today he has conducted research into the genocidal actions of the Government of Sudan in the Nuba Mountains in the late 1980s to mid 1990s, and the crimes against humanity being perpetrated today (July 2011-ongoing through at least June 2012)
During the 2009-2010 academic year Totten served as the Ida King Distinguished Visiting Professor of Holocaust and Education at the Richard stockton College of New Jersey.
In 2011, Totten was honored by Teachers College, Columbia University with The Teachers College Distinguished Alumni Award of 2011.
In December 2012-January 2013, Totten traveled throughout the war torn Nuba Mountains as he conducted research into both the genocide by attrition experienced by the people of the Nuba Mountains in the 1990s and the ongoing crisis today (June 2011-present). While there, Government of Sudan Antonov bombers dropped 55 bombs on civilian areas, resulting in deaths and grievous injuries.
Source: Wikipedia
Samuel Totten earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree at Teachers College, Columbia University.[2]
In 2004, he served as an investigator on the U.S. State Department's Darfur Atrocities Documentation Project.
In 2005 he became one of the chief co-editors of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, the official journal of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS).[3]
In 2008 He served as a Fulbright Scholar at the Centre for Conflict Management, National University of Rwanda.
Between 2004 and 2011, he conducted research along the Chad/Darfur, Sudan border into the genocide perpetrated by the Government of Sudan in Darfur. Between 2010 and today he has conducted research into the genocidal actions of the Government of Sudan in the Nuba Mountains in the late 1980s to mid 1990s, and the crimes against humanity being perpetrated today (July 2011-ongoing through at least June 2012)
During the 2009-2010 academic year Totten served as the Ida King Distinguished Visiting Professor of Holocaust and Education at the Richard stockton College of New Jersey.
In 2011, Totten was honored by Teachers College, Columbia University with The Teachers College Distinguished Alumni Award of 2011.
In December 2012-January 2013, Totten traveled throughout the war torn Nuba Mountains as he conducted research into both the genocide by attrition experienced by the people of the Nuba Mountains in the 1990s and the ongoing crisis today (June 2011-present). While there, Government of Sudan Antonov bombers dropped 55 bombs on civilian areas, resulting in deaths and grievous injuries.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 18, 2011
This is primarily a collection of eyewitness accounts compiled by various authors. Not originally what I expected, seeing as how this was recommended to me since I had Samantha Power's "The Problem from Hell." To be fair, I find some disagreement with Mrs. Powers in some areas, but I liked her writing style nonetheless.
As for this book, it varies from author to author. The chapters pertaining to the Armenian genocide in 1915 or the Burundi genocide in the 1970's were most informative, since I had limited knowledge on both subjects. I would not call this a "go-to" book for all things relating to each episode of genocide, such as the government policies or social atmosphere that made them possible. Instead it serves as an initial springboard, allowing the reader to become more knowledgeable, so that they may go onward to discover other books more detailed.
With that, I found this enjoyable and (admittedly) fun to read. Not "fun" in accordance to the subject obviously, but war crimes and human rights abuses is a large curiousity of mine, and this book quelled that thirst for knowledge temporarily. If you already have some background with cases like Armenia, the Holocaust, Burundi, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Cambodia, then this might only supplement your knowledge rather than expand upon it. For those who are taking a political science or history course on genocide, this is a decent tool for research. I used it in my "Politics of Genocide" course my senior year of college, and it was most helpful.
As for this book, it varies from author to author. The chapters pertaining to the Armenian genocide in 1915 or the Burundi genocide in the 1970's were most informative, since I had limited knowledge on both subjects. I would not call this a "go-to" book for all things relating to each episode of genocide, such as the government policies or social atmosphere that made them possible. Instead it serves as an initial springboard, allowing the reader to become more knowledgeable, so that they may go onward to discover other books more detailed.
With that, I found this enjoyable and (admittedly) fun to read. Not "fun" in accordance to the subject obviously, but war crimes and human rights abuses is a large curiousity of mine, and this book quelled that thirst for knowledge temporarily. If you already have some background with cases like Armenia, the Holocaust, Burundi, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Cambodia, then this might only supplement your knowledge rather than expand upon it. For those who are taking a political science or history course on genocide, this is a decent tool for research. I used it in my "Politics of Genocide" course my senior year of college, and it was most helpful.
July 10, 2008
If you read one book on genocide, this should be it. It will inform and educate anyone who reads it. The author does an excellent job at detailing the major and minor genocides of the 20th century in a very concise way. I was especially impressed that the author included the genocides of the Hereros, Indonesians, and Burundis in this work.
October 31, 2026
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Overall Thoughts:
- The opener of this book explains it all... ‘The writing of this book, Century of Genocide, began in the early 1990s and resulted in publication in 1995. With each revised edition, new genocides and crimes against humanity have had to be recorded. That is a telling and terrible statement about our contemporary world. Even the title of the book might be reconsidered because the slaughter has now spread into a new century.’
- It took me a long, long time to get through this book. Going in, I knew it would be one of those books that I’d have to put down at regular intervals. Because the content is too much to process. The level of degradation and debauchery was insane.
- I read a great book in 2024, called Gendercide and Genocide edited by Adam Jones… a lot of the eyewitness accounts in this book reminded about the gendered aspect of genocides. And how a lot of perpetrators know that they have to kill all the men and boys. No matter how old or young they are.
Premise:
- This book looks into the causes of genocides that took place in the 20th and 21st century. The essays offer a variation of analysis, first-person accounts, and historical context to further understand such a violent phenomenon.
- The contributors to this essay vary from professors to program directors. And they examine the causes, consequences and the experiences of victims of genocide. From Rwanda to Cambodia, Bangladesh, Armenia and beyond.
Themes:
- Dehumanisation, us vs them mentality, prejudice, the blind eye of the international community, the cover-up of genocides, and more.
Pros:
1. It was interesting to learn that the genocide of the Hereros was protested against in Germany (the colonisers at the times). Even strongly by members of its own government circa 1904. Yet a different sentiment was to be found for the Jews later on.
2. The Ukraine chapter was wild, especially today. The fact that the Russian empire banned the Ukrainian language from 1863 – 1905 was wild. That level of oppression, which is common with genocides, is insane and heartbreaking. That's literally the foundation of any culture.
3. For a subject as contested, bloody, and important as genocide, it is no surprise that this book is thought-provoking:
a. The shares of blame for the Holocaust. From the nazi’s themselves, to Christians, to regular Germans, to ongoing antisemitism, to Austria (and their former president, who in the 1980s tried to cover up that he was in Hitler’s armed forces when he was younger), Poland, the Allies… endless share of blame to go round.
b. The unfortunate, striking similarities and intertwined nature of Rwanda and Burundi. Madness.
4. This book did a great job of illustrating atrocities that aren’t widely known about and are still being swept under the rug. I didn’t know anything about the Gypsy holocaust that took place in Germany alongside the Jews.
5. This avoids a problem sometimes seen in anthologies, where some chapters are just way out there, whilst others are more focused. All the chapters in this book stay on track.
Cons:
1. I understand splitting every chapter by the research and analysis for the first half. And then the second half being eyewitness testimonies. But… I think I’d have preferred it to be mixed together.
2. Some chapters were more engaging and better written than others. But that is to be expected in any anthology.
Sources Referenced That I Added to My TBR:
1. Eugenics: Hereditarian Attitudes in American Thought by Mark H. Haller
2. Hunters and Gatherers in the Modern World: Conflict, Resistance, and Self-Determination edited by Megan Biesele, Robert K. Hitchcock, and Peter P. Schweitzer
3. Annihilating Difference: The Anthropology of Genocide edited by Alexander Laban Hinton
4. This Time We Knew: Western Responses to Genocide in Bosnia edited by Thomas Cushman & Stjepan Mestrovic
5. Fires of Hatred: Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth-Century Europe by Norman Naimark
6. Preventing Violent Conflicts: Past Record & Future Challenges edited by Peter Wallensteen
Quotes:
‘The writing of this book, Century of Genocide, began in the early 1990s and resulted in publication in 1995. With each revised edition, new genocides and crimes against humanity have had to be recorded. That is a telling and terrible statement about our contemporary world. Even the title of the book might be reconsidered because the slaughter has now spread into a new century’
‘In other words, we, humanity (members all of the international community), have not truly found the humanity that is needed to prevent genocide from reappearing, time and again, like a horrific nightmare.’
‘As every attorney knows, it is often easier to create doubt and win than it is to prove what actually took place.’
‘After over half a century of denial, in January 1990 the Communist Party of Ukraine adopted a special resolution admitting that the Ukrainian Famine had indeed occurred, cost millions of lives, had been artificially brought about by official actions, and that Stalin and his associates bore criminal responsibility for those actions (Holod, 1990, pp. 3-4).’
‘Once an ideology comes to power, theory becomes the stuff of practical politics, influencing and being influenced by considerations of power.’
‘At the height of the Famine, Stalin adopted the slogan: “Life has become better; life has become more fun,” and even the starving had to repeat it. To speak openly of everyday reality meant running the risk of punishment for propagating anti-Soviet propaganda.’
‘The Gypsy Holocaust has taught us that the German health care system and the involvement of German scientists – physicians, psychiatrists, anthropologists, and geneticists – were essential to implement the mass murder of all European Gypsies alongside that of the European Jews.’
‘During the six-month period from October 1965 to March 1966, approximately half a million people were killed in a series of massacres in Indonesia. The victims were largely members of the Indonesian Communist Party (Partai Komunis Indonesia, PKI) which until that time had been the largest Communist Party in the non-Communist world.’
‘The first recorded case of genocide in the Great Lakes Region of Africa occurred not in Rwanda but in neighbouring Burundi, 22 years before the more widely publicised 1994 bloodbath.’
‘In Brazil, more than eighty Indian tribes that came in contact with the national society were destroyed between 1900 and 1957, and as a result the indigenous population dropped from approximately a million to less than 200,000 (Davis, 1977, p. 5).’
‘Nothing is more revealing of the extent of the moral breakdown engendered by the genocide than the wholesale desecration of churches. More people were killed in churches and church compounds than in any other site.’
‘When we fought, the Arabs told us this country [Sudan] was not to be inhabited by slaves. When the Arabs were being beat, some started to run and others called out, “Don’t run away from the slaves” and “This is a jihad against the slaves!”’
‘As we were fleeing the Janjaweed would halt women with babies and force the women to show whether their children were boys or girls. And when the enemy caught a man, the man was killed. And if they caught a woman and she had a child, if the baby was a boy, they would kill him. They would take the baby boy and throw him on the ground and step on his throat and kill him. In other cases, they would throw the baby boys into the fire to burn alive.’
‘Referring to reports of impending atrocities in Rwanda before April 1994, Colonel Tony Marley, the U.S. State Department’s political-military advisor in the region, asserted that “’We had heard them cry wolf so many times’ that the new warnings fell on deaf ears” (quoted in Kuperman, 2001, p. 105).’
Overall Thoughts:
- The opener of this book explains it all... ‘The writing of this book, Century of Genocide, began in the early 1990s and resulted in publication in 1995. With each revised edition, new genocides and crimes against humanity have had to be recorded. That is a telling and terrible statement about our contemporary world. Even the title of the book might be reconsidered because the slaughter has now spread into a new century.’
- It took me a long, long time to get through this book. Going in, I knew it would be one of those books that I’d have to put down at regular intervals. Because the content is too much to process. The level of degradation and debauchery was insane.
- I read a great book in 2024, called Gendercide and Genocide edited by Adam Jones… a lot of the eyewitness accounts in this book reminded about the gendered aspect of genocides. And how a lot of perpetrators know that they have to kill all the men and boys. No matter how old or young they are.
Premise:
- This book looks into the causes of genocides that took place in the 20th and 21st century. The essays offer a variation of analysis, first-person accounts, and historical context to further understand such a violent phenomenon.
- The contributors to this essay vary from professors to program directors. And they examine the causes, consequences and the experiences of victims of genocide. From Rwanda to Cambodia, Bangladesh, Armenia and beyond.
Themes:
- Dehumanisation, us vs them mentality, prejudice, the blind eye of the international community, the cover-up of genocides, and more.
Pros:
1. It was interesting to learn that the genocide of the Hereros was protested against in Germany (the colonisers at the times). Even strongly by members of its own government circa 1904. Yet a different sentiment was to be found for the Jews later on.
2. The Ukraine chapter was wild, especially today. The fact that the Russian empire banned the Ukrainian language from 1863 – 1905 was wild. That level of oppression, which is common with genocides, is insane and heartbreaking. That's literally the foundation of any culture.
3. For a subject as contested, bloody, and important as genocide, it is no surprise that this book is thought-provoking:
a. The shares of blame for the Holocaust. From the nazi’s themselves, to Christians, to regular Germans, to ongoing antisemitism, to Austria (and their former president, who in the 1980s tried to cover up that he was in Hitler’s armed forces when he was younger), Poland, the Allies… endless share of blame to go round.
b. The unfortunate, striking similarities and intertwined nature of Rwanda and Burundi. Madness.
4. This book did a great job of illustrating atrocities that aren’t widely known about and are still being swept under the rug. I didn’t know anything about the Gypsy holocaust that took place in Germany alongside the Jews.
5. This avoids a problem sometimes seen in anthologies, where some chapters are just way out there, whilst others are more focused. All the chapters in this book stay on track.
Cons:
1. I understand splitting every chapter by the research and analysis for the first half. And then the second half being eyewitness testimonies. But… I think I’d have preferred it to be mixed together.
2. Some chapters were more engaging and better written than others. But that is to be expected in any anthology.
Sources Referenced That I Added to My TBR:
1. Eugenics: Hereditarian Attitudes in American Thought by Mark H. Haller
2. Hunters and Gatherers in the Modern World: Conflict, Resistance, and Self-Determination edited by Megan Biesele, Robert K. Hitchcock, and Peter P. Schweitzer
3. Annihilating Difference: The Anthropology of Genocide edited by Alexander Laban Hinton
4. This Time We Knew: Western Responses to Genocide in Bosnia edited by Thomas Cushman & Stjepan Mestrovic
5. Fires of Hatred: Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth-Century Europe by Norman Naimark
6. Preventing Violent Conflicts: Past Record & Future Challenges edited by Peter Wallensteen
Quotes:
‘The writing of this book, Century of Genocide, began in the early 1990s and resulted in publication in 1995. With each revised edition, new genocides and crimes against humanity have had to be recorded. That is a telling and terrible statement about our contemporary world. Even the title of the book might be reconsidered because the slaughter has now spread into a new century’
‘In other words, we, humanity (members all of the international community), have not truly found the humanity that is needed to prevent genocide from reappearing, time and again, like a horrific nightmare.’
‘As every attorney knows, it is often easier to create doubt and win than it is to prove what actually took place.’
‘After over half a century of denial, in January 1990 the Communist Party of Ukraine adopted a special resolution admitting that the Ukrainian Famine had indeed occurred, cost millions of lives, had been artificially brought about by official actions, and that Stalin and his associates bore criminal responsibility for those actions (Holod, 1990, pp. 3-4).’
‘Once an ideology comes to power, theory becomes the stuff of practical politics, influencing and being influenced by considerations of power.’
‘At the height of the Famine, Stalin adopted the slogan: “Life has become better; life has become more fun,” and even the starving had to repeat it. To speak openly of everyday reality meant running the risk of punishment for propagating anti-Soviet propaganda.’
‘The Gypsy Holocaust has taught us that the German health care system and the involvement of German scientists – physicians, psychiatrists, anthropologists, and geneticists – were essential to implement the mass murder of all European Gypsies alongside that of the European Jews.’
‘During the six-month period from October 1965 to March 1966, approximately half a million people were killed in a series of massacres in Indonesia. The victims were largely members of the Indonesian Communist Party (Partai Komunis Indonesia, PKI) which until that time had been the largest Communist Party in the non-Communist world.’
‘The first recorded case of genocide in the Great Lakes Region of Africa occurred not in Rwanda but in neighbouring Burundi, 22 years before the more widely publicised 1994 bloodbath.’
‘In Brazil, more than eighty Indian tribes that came in contact with the national society were destroyed between 1900 and 1957, and as a result the indigenous population dropped from approximately a million to less than 200,000 (Davis, 1977, p. 5).’
‘Nothing is more revealing of the extent of the moral breakdown engendered by the genocide than the wholesale desecration of churches. More people were killed in churches and church compounds than in any other site.’
‘When we fought, the Arabs told us this country [Sudan] was not to be inhabited by slaves. When the Arabs were being beat, some started to run and others called out, “Don’t run away from the slaves” and “This is a jihad against the slaves!”’
‘As we were fleeing the Janjaweed would halt women with babies and force the women to show whether their children were boys or girls. And when the enemy caught a man, the man was killed. And if they caught a woman and she had a child, if the baby was a boy, they would kill him. They would take the baby boy and throw him on the ground and step on his throat and kill him. In other cases, they would throw the baby boys into the fire to burn alive.’
‘Referring to reports of impending atrocities in Rwanda before April 1994, Colonel Tony Marley, the U.S. State Department’s political-military advisor in the region, asserted that “’We had heard them cry wolf so many times’ that the new warnings fell on deaf ears” (quoted in Kuperman, 2001, p. 105).’
December 27, 2015
This is so well done! It is used in history classes about 20th century genocides and covers a bunch of them from the Hereros of Southwest Africa to the Armenian genocide to the Holocaust and then on to modern day genocides (think Cambodia, Serbia, Rwanda). In each case, the author clearly arranges the information about who did the genocide and why, who the victims were, how it was done, and firsthand stories. This is a really important and easy to read book I wish everyone would read it.
February 19, 2014
read chapter about the Armenians
December 7, 2018
Century of Genocide: Eyewitness Accounts and Critical Essays by Samuel Totten
When one thinks of genocides throughout history, there are clear and apparent examples that most people know of, such as the Holocaust and the Rwandan Genocide. However, history is host to many lesser known genocides, such as the Armenian Genocide during World War One, and the Herero Genocide in German-occupied Southwest Africa. This book provides information, eyewitness accounts, and explanations of several genocides across the 20th century. However, the reader should be warned. While the book is informative, it does not hold back. Readers should be prepared for harrowing and disturbing accounts of some of the darkest moments in history. I’d recommend this book to anyone who is interested in looking into the darker, more sinister side of history.
When one thinks of genocides throughout history, there are clear and apparent examples that most people know of, such as the Holocaust and the Rwandan Genocide. However, history is host to many lesser known genocides, such as the Armenian Genocide during World War One, and the Herero Genocide in German-occupied Southwest Africa. This book provides information, eyewitness accounts, and explanations of several genocides across the 20th century. However, the reader should be warned. While the book is informative, it does not hold back. Readers should be prepared for harrowing and disturbing accounts of some of the darkest moments in history. I’d recommend this book to anyone who is interested in looking into the darker, more sinister side of history.
May 13, 2026
Collection of essays on various genocides. Stronger ones include Herero, Armenian, and holocaust of disabled people. Weaker ones include holodomer and Bangladesh. Lower score comes from its conclusion that misses the point about genocide prevention. Fantasizing about a worldwide genocide early warning system and special task force for intervention. It addresses the unwillingness of nations to react but offers no solutions. Maybe this was seen as viable in the barely post 9/11 world but does not stand up to the test of time. Also includes assertions that 20,000 killed in a week in Rwanda was not a level of killing that should be considered genocidal by the media.
January 22, 2023
Heartbreaking accounts of the human experience of war; to read with a soft heart.
December 17, 2014
I think this is one of the best books I've ever been assigned to read chapters on for a class. A collection of essays written by experts on genocides of the 20th century. Each section describes historical preconditions to the genocide , provides descriptions of who was responsible, who was victimized, and what the outcomes of the genocide was. Some essays are better written than others.
Goes in-depth enough for a class but my own personal research on some of the topics led me even deeper. Then again, if this book were as detailed as history itself, it'd easily be thousands of pages long.
Goes in-depth enough for a class but my own personal research on some of the topics led me even deeper. Then again, if this book were as detailed as history itself, it'd easily be thousands of pages long.
August 15, 2012
Read this for a graduate school class on genocide. So informative yet very difficult to read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews