This is often referred to the Stages of a Genocide, give the episode a listen to hear why I choose to refer to them as the "Steps to a Genocide". 

This episode covers the first 3 of 10 Steps that if the pattern of choices remains along the established path, will lead to a Genocide.

In this episode I discuss the 4 main problems with the UN Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide as well as the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and finish up with an overview of The UN Office of Genocide's position on Crimes Against Humanity.

In this episode, the second in the series about The Holocaust and other 20th Century Genocides, I discuss the history of the words "Holocaust" and "Genocide." I also provide an overview of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide that was passed in 1951.

I referenced this article on the word "Genocide" from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

I referred to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as well.

The websites provide more detailed information about what was discussed in this episode.

This is the re-launch of my podcast series. I will be covering the material I presented in my class, The Holocaust and Other 20th Century Genocides. 

Here are the books I mentioned:

To Kill a People by John Cox - A great companion book for the series. It is also a wonderful beginning text to grasp this challenging topic.

Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction by Adam Jones - Much more in-depth, but helps with an understanding of these events. It is loaded with graphs, charts and images. 

Genocide: A Reader by Jens Meirhenrich - An in-depth collection of essays that deals with our understanding of genocides and the challenges in dealing with them.

In this episode I look at the Franco-Prussian War and the role it played in the antagonistic relationship between France and Germany. I try to explain why this war laid the ground work for the harsh conditions that France demanded be placed on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War 1.

Everything has to start somewhere, and I hope I help you understand this one.

I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed creating it.

How should we look at societies and civilizations through the lens of history? Are there civilizations that are heaven or hell? Or are they all somewhere in between? 

Join me as I venture down this path as I explain my point of view, is any society perfect or are there any that did nothing right in history?

Thanks for listening along. 

As we approach the Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to share with you the history of the holiday. I also wanted to talk for a few minutes about how I feel about the holiday as a US veteran.

Why is it important to be honest about the people we look at in history? There is a tendency to look at people throughout history as either a saint or a sinner. The good people did everything right and the bad people did everything wrong. But is that actually fair? What damage can we do to our understanding of what they achieved by ignoring the bad? How can we distort the evil in a person by minimalizing the positives in their lives?

Once again, these are my own thoughts, I hope you enjoy listening in as I share them with you.

Every class starts with going over the syllabus and what the class expectations are. I do the same thing with this episode. I delve into what I want to do with this series. I explain why history is a subject we love, then grow to dread. I explain my reasoning behind my push to conduct research that considers multiple points of view...and I introduce you to "Zachisms". Yes, you will have to listen to understand that one. 

I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did recording it.