The Psychology of Genocide, Massacres, and Extreme Violence

The 20th century saw the largest number of systematic slaughters of human beings in any century in history. Chronicling the horrific events of last century, this work goes beyond historic details to examine the psychological means that leaders use to convince individuals to commit horrific actions in the name of a political or military cause. Massacres in Nanking, Rwanda, EI Salvador, Vietnam and other countries are reviewed in chilling detail. But the core issue is what psychological forces are behind large scale killing, and how psychology can be used to indoctrinate normal people with a 'Groupthink' that moves individuals to commit mass murder brutally and without regret, even when the victims are innocent children. The author shows us how individuals are convinced to commit such sadistic acts, often preceded by torture, after being indoctrinated with beliefs that the target victims are unjust, inhuman, or like a virus that must be destroyed or it will destroy society.