One of the questions posed to us during class was: How could people bring themselves take the lives of innocent people during genocide? There were just normal citizens and they committed the horrific acts of genocide. The beginnings of this question can be answered in through the various studies throughout history such as the Asch, Milgram, Zimbardo and Sherif experiments.
Each of the experiments explains a small portion of the larger, general question. The Asch study tested the social pressure to conform, the Milgram experiment tested the obedience of subjects, Zimbardo tested the correlation between environments of subjects and their actions, and Sherif tested the effects of various leadership styles. Collectively, they can be used to analyze the psychology behind genocide.
After looking at each study and how each apply to genocide, it is almost frightening to see how easily people can be manipulated. All it takes is the right combination of groups with predetermined answers, uniforms, the correct environment/set up, and the right leadership to start your own genocide.
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