Classicide

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Classicide is a concept proposed by Michael Mann to describe the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of a social class through persecution and violence.[1][2] Although it was first used by Fred Schwarz in 1972,[3] classicide was popularized by Mann as a term that is similar to but distinct from the term genocide because it means the "intended mass killing of entire social classes."[4] Classicide is considered a form of "premeditated mass killing", which is narrower than genocide, because the target of a classicide is a part of a population which is defined by its social status, and classicide is also considered broader than politicide because the group which is targeted for classicide is killed without any concern for its political activities.[5]

Definition[]

Classicide is a term which was first used by Fred Schwarz in his 1972 book The Three Faces of Revolution.[3] It was later used by Michael Mann as a well defined term.[6] Since then, the term classicide has been used by some sociologists such as Mann[1] and Martin Shaw[2] to describe the unique forms of genocide which pertain to the annihilation of a class through murder or displacement and the destruction of the upper class to form an equal working class.[1][2][3]

According to Jacques Sémelin, "Mann thus establishes a sort of parallel between racial enemies and class enemies, thereby contributing to the debates on comparisons between Nazism and communism. This theory has also been developed by some French historians such as Stéphane Courtois and  [fr] in The Black Book of Communism: they view class genocide as the equivalent to racial genocide. However, Mann refuses to use the term 'genocide' to describe the crimes which were committed under communism. He prefers to use the terms 'fratricide' and 'classicide', a word which he coined in reference to the intentional mass killings of entire social classes."[6]

Examples[]

Examples of classicide include mass killings in the Soviet Union under the Stalin era of the affluent upper-class peasant kulaks who were identified as "class enemies" by the Soviet Union.[citation needed] Classicide was also committed by the government of the People's Republic of China during the Chinese Land Reform of the Mao era,[7] by the government of North Vietnam as part of its land reform, and in unified Vietnam during the suppression of South Vietnam's upper classes after 1975[citation needed] as well as by the Khmer Rouge regime in Democratic Kampuchea.[citation needed]

Human rights activist Harry Wu identified the killings which were carried out during the Chinese Land Reform under the leadership of Mao Zedong as classicide. Wu writes that "in order to consolidate his power, Mao Zedong implemented a nation-wide ideology to undermine those who previously held power."[8] According to Wu, this ideology included dividing people into five class categories depending on their possession of land, capital, property, and income. The five categories were the landlord class, the rich peasant class, the middle peasant class, and the poor worker and peasant classes. Those in the lower classes were "praised for their humble way of life and work ethic", while the landlords and the wealthy were demonized and persecuted. Their property was seized, they were sent to do hard manual labor in the countryside, and many of them were killed. Wu writes that "according to research, in 1949 there were around 10 to 15 million members of the landlord and rich peasant classes nationwide. By the end of the 1970s, when the Cultural Revolution had ended, only 10 to 15 percent of them remained alive."[9]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Mann, Michael (Spring 2002). "Explaining Murderous Ethnic Cleansing: Eight Theses" (PDF). UCLA. Brisbane, Australia. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Shaw, Martin (2015). What is Genocide?. John Wiley & Sons. p. 72. ISBN 978-0745631837.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Schwarz, Fred (1972). The Three Faces of Revolution. Capital Hill Press. pp. 51–53. ISBN 978-0882210032.
  4. ^ Mann, Michael (2005). The Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-521-53854-1.
  5. ^ Sangar, Eric (3 November 2007). "Classicide". Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence. p. 1, paragraph 3. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Jaffrelot, Christophe; Sémelin, Jacques, eds. (2009) Purify and Destroy: The Political Uses of Massacre and Genocide. Translated by Schoch, Cynthia. CERI Series in Comparative Politics and International Studies. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-231-14283-0.
  7. ^ Wu, Harry (1 December 2012). "Classicide in Communist China". Comparative Civilizations Review. 67 (Fall 2012): 101–106. Retrieved 15 November 2020 – via BYU ScholarsArchive.
  8. ^ Wu, Harry (1 December 2012). "Classicide in Communist China". Comparative Civilizations Review. 67 (Fall 2012): 101–106. Retrieved 15 November 2020 – via BYU ScholarsArchive.
  9. ^ Wu, Harry (1 December 2012). "Classicide in Communist China". Comparative Civilizations Review. 67 (Fall 2012): 101–106. Retrieved 15 November 2020 – via BYU ScholarsArchive.
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