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Definition of «pogrom»

A pogrom is a violent, organized attack by a group against a minority community, particularly Jews. The term comes from the Russian word for "devastation," and it typically refers to large-scale riots or massacres that targeted Jewish communities in Eastern Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pogroms were often fueled by anti-Semitic sentiment, and they resulted in widespread destruction of property, loss of life, and forced migration for those who survived. While pogroms are most closely associated with attacks on Jewish communities, the term can also be applied to other instances of organized violence against minority groups.

Usage examples

  1. In 1881, a wave of pogroms swept through various cities in Russia, resulting in the violent persecution of Jewish communities.
  2. The Holocaust is perhaps the most notorious example of a pogrom, with the systematic extermination of millions of Jews by the Nazis during World War II.
  3. After the fall of the Soviet Union, several countries in Eastern Europe experienced ethnic tensions, leading to sporadic pogroms against minority groups.
  4. In 1992, the Bosnian War witnessed brutal pogroms against Bosnian Muslims, where thousands were killed and countless others were forcibly displaced.
  5. During the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, extremist Hutu militias conducted pogroms against the Tutsi population, leading to the mass slaughter of approximately 800,000 people.

Sentences with «pogrom»

  • Haunted by the loss of her parents and driven from her Polish shtetl during the anti-Semitic pogroms of 1921, Devorah is taken to safety in South Africa's Jewish community. (booklistonline.com)
  • In the sixties, the Igbo were slaughtered in pogroms in the North. (ghanapoliticsonline.com)
  • Worries about the film's anti-Judaism arose first, as many recalled the sordid history of Christian pogroms against Jews, and the ways Christian Passion plays have often provoked and helped justify violence against so - called Christ - killers. (religion-online.org)
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See also

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