The 1948 Genocide Convention – A Critically Important Outcome of World War II
Educational Resource for Virginia Public Schools
10th-grade History and Social Science Standards of Learning
To Virginia Educators and Students,
World War II was the most destructive war in all of history and it is essential to study the war as it occurred in Europe because it helps us understand the underlying ideologies that started the war and caused its immense suffering and human cost.
The word “genocide” and the concept of genocide did not exist prior to World War II. Polish-Jewish legal scholar Raphael Lemkin invented the word and developed the concept in response to the atrocities committed by the Germans. He explains his concept of genocide in his major work Axis Rule in Occupied Europe, which was published during the war in 1944.
When the war ended in 1945, Lemkin campaigned tirelessly to establish genocide as an international crime. He helped write the 1948 Genocide Convention, which the United Nations adopted one day before it adopted the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Convention addresses the rights of groups and the Declaration addresses the rights of individuals. Adopting the two documents together was a deliberate act by the United Nations to present a unified front on international justice and human rights. The Convention’s definition of genocide is now the cornerstone for prosecuting genocide in both international and national courts.
Please note that this Educational Resource includes discussion of genocide, which is meant to deepen ethical awareness, critical thinking, and civic responsibility. As some students may find this unsettling, they should be allowed to step out and take a break at any time or speak with their teacher or school counselor.
This Educational Resource consists of the following five Sections:
1. Lesson Plan (5 pages)
2. Teacher’s Supplement to Lesson Plan (14 pages)
3. Lesson Plan Differentiation Sentence Starters (2 pages)
4. Lesson Plan Exit Quiz (2 pages)
5. Resources for Professional Growth (11 pages)
The Virginia Department of Education has asked that the Sections of this Resource be consolidated into a single file, which has been done.
The Educational Resource can be downloaded at this link
