Politicide

Politicide is the deliberate physical destruction or elimination of a group whose members share the main characteristic of belonging to a political movement. It is a type of political repression, and one of the means which is used to politically cleanse populations, with another means being forced migration. It may be compared to genocide or ethnic cleansing, both of which involve the killing of people based on their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group rather than their adherence to a particular political ideology.[1]

This article is about mass killing based on political belief. For "political suicide" of which this word is also a portmanteau, see political suicide. For the intentional destruction of a city or nation, see policide.

Social scientists Barbara Harff and Ted R. Gurr both use the term politicide to describe the killing of groups of people who are targeted not because of their shared ethnic or communal traits (the types of groups which are covered by the CPPCG), but because of "their hierarchical position or political opposition to the regime and dominant groups".[1]

See also

Notes and references
  1. Origins and Evolution of the Concept in the Science Encyclopedia by Net Industries states "Politicide, as [Barbara] Harff and [Ted R.] Gurr define it, refers to the killing of groups of people who are targeted not because of shared ethnic or communal traits, but because of 'their hierarchical position or political opposition to the regime and dominant groups' (p. 360)". This reference does not give the book title to go with the page number.

Further reading
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