A genocídium mérhetősége afrikai gyarmati esetek összehasonlító elemzése és operacionalizációja (1870–1918)

Absztrakt

This paper examines cases of colonial violence in Africa between 1870 and 1918, with particular emphasis on the extent to which these events correspond to the concept of genocide as defined in international law. The methodological basis of the analysis is operationalization, which translates the definition of the Genocide Convention into measurable indicators. Seven indicators were identified during the study (e.g., death toll, intensity, geographical extent, organization, method of execution, international reaction), which made it possible to compare the severity of massacres and genocides. The historical overview discusses four prominent cases: the exploitation of the Congo Free State by the Belgians, the violence against the civilian population during the Second Anglo-Boer War, German colonial action against the Herero and Nama peoples in South West Africa, and the Maji Maji uprising in German East Africa and its suppression. According to the results of the operationalization, all four cases fall into the “severe” category, while the events in the Congo Free State and German South West Africa approached the “critical” level. Based on the threshold values, the massacres against the Herero and Nama in particular best meet the criteria for genocide in the legal sense. The study points out that colonial violence took on dimensions comparable to those of genocide. The study of these cases not only contributes to the understanding of the historical past, but also to the clarification of the scientific and legal definition of genocide, thus providing important lessons for the interpretation of present and future conflicts.