itemID: 2852
Term: democide
Display Definition: Murder of people by their own governments
Full Definition: Killing of people by their own government, including:
• genocide – government killing of people who belong to a particular group
• politicide – murder by a government of those with the “wrong” political beliefs
• mass murder – indiscriminate killing of people by a government
Discussion: Democide is a term coined by professor emeritus R.J. Rummel of the University of Hawaii after many years of investigation of government killings of their own people. He estimates that 262 million people suffered this fate during the 20th century with the biggest killers being Communist China, Gulag Russia, and Nazi Germany. He concludes that government murder occurs almost exclusively in totalitarian governments.
Sources: Definition of Democide by R.J. Rummel who coined the term: http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/DBG.CHAP2.HTM
Wikipedia - Democide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democide

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