 | The Psychology of Genocide and Violent Oppression : A Study of Mass Cruelty from Nazi Germany to Rwanda The twentieth century was one of the most violent in all of human history, with more than 100 million people killed in acts of war and persecution ranging from the Herero and Namaqua genocide in present-day Namibia during the early 1900s to the ongoing conflict in Darfur. This book explores the root causes of genocide, looking into the underlying psychology of violence and oppression. Genocide does not simply occur at the hands of tyrannical despots, but rather at the hands of ordinary citizens whose unresolved pain and oppression forces them to follow a leader whose demagogy best expresses their own long-developed prejudices and fears. The book explains how birth trauma, childhood trauma, and authoritarian education can be seen as the true causes of genocidal periods in recent history. Richard Morrock has served as vice president of the International Psychohistorical Association, and currently edits their quarterly newsletter. He has written for The Journal of Psychohistory, The Journal of Human Relations, Social Theory and Practice, and Science, and Science & Society , among others. |
