Which term describes the systematic destruction of a group based on race, religion, or ethnicity?

Which term describes the systematic destruction of a group based on race, religion, or ethnicity?

• A. Ethnic cleansing
• B. Genocide
• C. Totalitarianism
• D. Apartheid

Answer: (B)

Genocide is the deliberate, systematic destruction of a group because of its race, religion, or ethnicity. It isn’t just harm to individuals; it denotes an organized effort to erase the group as such, at least in part. The concept includes killing, causing serious harm, creating conditions designed to destroy the group’s ability to survive, preventing births, or forcibly taking children away to be raised by others. That explicit aim to destroy a protected group makes genocide the term that best matches the description. Ethnic cleansing involves removing a group from a homeland through expulsion or violence, not necessarily destroying the group itself. Totalitarianism is a political system of centralized control with limited freedoms, not about targeting a group for destruction. Apartheid refers to a policy of racial segregation and discrimination, not the deliberate annihilation of a group.

Genocide is the deliberate, systematic destruction of a group because of its race, religion, or ethnicity. It isn’t just harm to individuals; it denotes an organized effort to erase the group as such, at least in part. The concept includes killing, causing serious harm, creating conditions designed to destroy the group’s ability to survive, preventing births, or forcibly taking children away to be raised by others. That explicit aim to destroy a protected group makes genocide the term that best matches the description.

Ethnic cleansing involves removing a group from a homeland through expulsion or violence, not necessarily destroying the group itself. Totalitarianism is a political system of centralized control with limited freedoms, not about targeting a group for destruction. Apartheid refers to a policy of racial segregation and discrimination, not the deliberate annihilation of a group.