Massacre
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| + | "And what do the birds say? All there is to say about a [[bombing of Dresden in World War II|massacre]], things like "''[[Bird vocalization|Poo-tee-weet]]?''"" --''[[Slaughterhouse-Five]]'', 1969, Kurt Vonnegut | ||
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| + | [[Image:Gillray, Petit Souper a la Parisienne.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Petit Souper a la Parisienne]]'' ([[1792]]) by [[James Gillray]]]] | ||
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| - | '''Massacre''' has a number of meanings, but it most commonly refers to individual events of deliberate and direct [[mass killing]], especially of noncombatant [[civilian]]s or those without any reasonable means of defense; these would often qualify as [[war crimes]] or [[atrocities]]. Massacres in this sense do not typically apply to combatants except figuratively; the deliberate mass killing of [[prisoners of war]], however, is often considered a massacre. | ||
| - | At the same time, the term "massacre" is used more widely to refer to individual, civil, or military mass killings on smaller scales, but having distinct [[political]] significance in shaping subsequent events, such as the [[Boston Massacre]]. Individual or small group acts of [[murder]] may also be described as massacres, as in the case of some school shootings. | + | A '''massacre''' is a specific incident which involves the [[killing of people]], although not necessarily a [[crime against humanity]]. |
| - | In [[Guatemala]], where massacres of [[Maya Indian]]s have been common, the human rights commission agreed on a specific definition: "A massacre shall be considered the execution of five or more people, in the same place, as part of the same operation and whose victims were in an indefensible state." [http://shr.aaas.org/mtc/chap08.html] In [[Colombia]], the term is applied to the murder of half a dozen or more at one time. | + | The numbers of killed range from just a few people to many millions. The common factor for massacre (compare to [[mass murder]]) is multiple people being violently killed by other people. |
| - | [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/{{PAGENAMEE}}] [Apr 2007] | + | |
| - | == Titles == | + | ==Etymology and history of term== |
| - | * [[The Massacre of the Innocents]] | + | The modern definition of ''massacre'' as "wholesale slaughter, carnage", and the subsequent verb of this form, derive from late 16th century Middle French, evolved from Middle French ''"macacre, macecle"'' meaning "slaughterhouse, butchery." Further origins are dubious, though may be related to Latin ''macellum'' "provisions store, butcher shop." |
| - | * [[Wounded Knee]] | + | |
| + | The term is also used allegorically for events that do not involve deaths, such as the [[Saturday Night Massacre]]—the dismissals and resignations of political appointees during [[Richard Nixon]]'s [[Watergate scandal]]. | ||
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| + | ==Definitions== | ||
| + | [[Robert Melson]]'s "basic working definition," reads, "by massacre we shall mean the intentional killing by political actors of a significant number of relatively defenseless people... the motives for massacre need not be rational in order for the killings to be intentional... Mass killings can be carried out for various reasons, including a response to false rumors... political massacre... should be distinguished from criminal or pathological mass killings... as political bodies we of course include the state and its agencies, but also nonstate actors..." | ||
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| + | Mark Levene defines massacre historically as involving the murder of more than one individual, within an outrageous moral deficiency: "Although it is not possible to set unalterable rules about when multiple murders become massacres. Equally important is that massacres are not carried out by individuals, but by groups... the use of superior, even overwhelming force..." Levene excludes "legal, or even some quasi-legal, mass executions." He also points out that it is "...most often ... when the act is outside the normal moral bounds of the society witnessing it... In any war ... this killing is often acceptable." | ||
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| + | ==See also== | ||
| * [[Atrocity]] | * [[Atrocity]] | ||
| + | *[[List of events named massacres]] | ||
| + | *[[Disaster]] | ||
| + | *[[Ethnic cleansing]] | ||
| + | *[[Genocide]] | ||
| + | *[[Killing spree]] | ||
| + | *[[Mass murder]] | ||
| + | *[[Pogrom]] | ||
| + | *[[Tragedy (event)]] | ||
| + | *[[Tragedy]] | ||
| + | *[[War crime]] | ||
| + | ==List of massacres== | ||
| + | * [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]] | ||
| + | * [[Massacre of the Innocents]] | ||
| + | * [[Wounded Knee]] | ||
| * [[Massacre of Lwów professors]] | * [[Massacre of Lwów professors]] | ||
| - | * ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]'' (1974) | + | == Namesakes == |
| - | * ''[[The Great Cat Massacre|The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History]]'' (1984) - [[Robert Darnton]] | + | |
| + | * ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]'', a 1974 film by Tobe Hooper | ||
| + | * ''[[The Great Cat Massacre|The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History]]'', a 1984 book by Robert Darnton | ||
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Current revision
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"And what do the birds say? All there is to say about a massacre, things like "Poo-tee-weet?"" --Slaughterhouse-Five, 1969, Kurt Vonnegut |
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A massacre is a specific incident which involves the killing of people, although not necessarily a crime against humanity.
The numbers of killed range from just a few people to many millions. The common factor for massacre (compare to mass murder) is multiple people being violently killed by other people.
Contents |
Etymology and history of term
The modern definition of massacre as "wholesale slaughter, carnage", and the subsequent verb of this form, derive from late 16th century Middle French, evolved from Middle French "macacre, macecle" meaning "slaughterhouse, butchery." Further origins are dubious, though may be related to Latin macellum "provisions store, butcher shop."
The term is also used allegorically for events that do not involve deaths, such as the Saturday Night Massacre—the dismissals and resignations of political appointees during Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal.
Definitions
Robert Melson's "basic working definition," reads, "by massacre we shall mean the intentional killing by political actors of a significant number of relatively defenseless people... the motives for massacre need not be rational in order for the killings to be intentional... Mass killings can be carried out for various reasons, including a response to false rumors... political massacre... should be distinguished from criminal or pathological mass killings... as political bodies we of course include the state and its agencies, but also nonstate actors..."
Mark Levene defines massacre historically as involving the murder of more than one individual, within an outrageous moral deficiency: "Although it is not possible to set unalterable rules about when multiple murders become massacres. Equally important is that massacres are not carried out by individuals, but by groups... the use of superior, even overwhelming force..." Levene excludes "legal, or even some quasi-legal, mass executions." He also points out that it is "...most often ... when the act is outside the normal moral bounds of the society witnessing it... In any war ... this killing is often acceptable."
See also
- Atrocity
- List of events named massacres
- Disaster
- Ethnic cleansing
- Genocide
- Killing spree
- Mass murder
- Pogrom
- Tragedy (event)
- Tragedy
- War crime
List of massacres
Namesakes
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a 1974 film by Tobe Hooper
- The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History, a 1984 book by Robert Darnton
