The Most Horrifying Political Mass Murders in History

Men’s savagery had been manifested many times all throughout history. Due to differences on political and religious views and beliefs, hundreds, thousands and even millions of people died. Here are the most horrifying political mass murders or killings of a particular political group in history.

The Tlatelolco Massacre

Every Mexican will always remember the Tlatelolco Massacre, also known as The Night of Tlatelolco (from a book title by the Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska). This horrifying incident in Mexican history took place on the afternoon and night of October 2, 1968, in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in the Tlatelolco section of Mexico City, ten days before the 1968 Summer Olympics celebrations in Mexico City, when the military and armed men shot student demonstrators. The death toll remains controversial: some estimates place the number of deaths in the thousands, but most sources report between 200 and 300 deaths. The exact number of people who were arrested is also controversial. A memorial was built to commemorate this tragic incident.

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Another manifestation of man’s cruelness is the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, alternatively known as the Amritsar Massacre. It was named after the Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) in Amritsar City in India. The incident happened on April 13, 1919 when British Indian Army soldiers under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer opened fire on an unarmed gathering of men, women and children. The firing lasted about 10 minutes and 1650 rounds were fired or 33 rounds per soldier. Official British Raj sources placed the fatalities at 379. According to private sources there were over 1000 deaths, with more than 2000 wounded, and Civil Surgeon Dr. Smith indicated that there were 1,526 casualties. A memorial was erected for the victims of this horrible event in India’s history.

The Hama Massacre

One of the most recent political mass murders in modern history is the Hama Massacre. This act of man’s cruelty occurred on February 2, 1982 when the Syrian army bombarded the town of Hama in order to quell a revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood. An estimated 7,000 to 25,000 people were killed, including about 1,000 soldiers.

The Partition of India

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The Partition of India which led to the creation in 1947 of the Pakistan and Bangladesh led to massive population exchanges between the two states in the months immediately following Partition. Once the lines were established, about 14.5 million people crossed the borders to what they hoped was the relative safety of religious majority. About 7,226,000 Muslims went to Pakistan from India while 7,249,000 Hindus and Sikhs moved to India from Pakistan immediately after partition.