Until the twentieth century, the world was unfamiliar with the new phenomenon known as genocide. The first case of mass extermination of an ethnic group that proliferated in news around the world was the Holocaust. Under the Nazi regime, the German government indiscriminately massacred millions of Jewish men, women, and children. However, the Holocaust was by no means the first episode of genocide. Historical evidence reveals a pattern of slaughter on the basis of ethnicity that is particularly evident in civilizations dating back to the Roman Empire. While the Holocaust gave birth to the idea of ​​genocide, civilizations throughout history have instituted cruel methods of mass extermination starting with the introduction of the most basic societies around the world. A basic but important element of civilization is national unity. The world's first societies were founded so that people with similar cultures and beliefs could live among each other. One of the most important factors of national unity is religion. At the height of the Roman Empire, the vast majority of the population practiced a polytheistic religion that encompassed all aspects of society. Christianity was also dangerous to follow as it went against the unity of the Empire (“The Roman Empire”). In these cases of religious rigidity, governments have threatened to expel or persecute religious dissidents. At the end of the Punic Wars against the Carthaginians, the motto of the Roman emperor was “Carthage must be destroyed”. The Romans saw the people of Carthage as a threat to Rome's status as a world power, but they also saw the Carthaginian religion as a backward ideology. When the Romans invaded Carthage, entered people's homes and k...... middle of paper ......fire, civilizations safeguarded their national and international interests through extreme measures, such as mass extermination of an ethnic group. To say that genocides like the Holocaust are deviations from the normal course of civilization would be inaccurate. Genocides require extensive planning and organization that can only come from civilizations, namely highly advanced ones. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to argue that genocides are a rare, but extreme, consequence of the progress of civilization. Works Cited Kifner, John. "Armenian Genocide of 1915: An Overview". The New York Times Co. website February 27, 2014.Mulligan, Gerard. "Genocide in the Ancient World". Encyclopedia of Ancient History, January 27, 2013. Web. February 27, 2014. "The Roman Empire in the First Century." Devillier Donegan Enterprises. Network. February 27. 2014.