R. J. Rummel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
R. J. Rummel
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Rudolph Joseph Rummel
October 21, 1932 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | March 2, 2014 (aged 81) Kaneohe, Hawaii, U.S.
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| Occupation | Political scientist |
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| Known for | Research on war and conflict resolution |
Rudolph Joseph Rummel (October 21, 1932 – March 2, 2014) was an American political scientist. He was also a statistician and a professor at several universities. He spent his career studying information about violence and war. His goal was to find ways to help solve or stop these conflicts.
Rummel created the word democide. This word means murder by a government. It includes events like the genocide of indigenous peoples, actions by Nazi Germany, and the Stalinist purges. He believed that democratic regimes (governments where people vote for their leaders) cause the fewest democides.
Rummel estimated that governments killed about 212 million people in the 20th century. He said that Communist governments were responsible for 148 million of these deaths. To compare, he noted that wars killed around 41 million people in combat during the same time. Some people have questioned his numbers and methods.
Rummel wrote many books about his research. His main findings were published in Understanding Conflict and War (1975). He later summarized his work in Power Kills (1997).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rudolph Rummel was born in 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio. His family was of German descent. He grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. He went to local public schools.
He earned his first two degrees from the University of Hawaiʻi. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1959 and his Master of Arts in 1961. In 1963, he earned his PhD in political science from Northwestern University.
Academic Career and Research
Rummel started teaching at Indiana University. In 1964, he moved to Yale University. Then, in 1966, he returned to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He taught there until he retired in 1995. After retiring, he became a professor emeritus. This means he kept his title but no longer taught full-time.
His research received support from groups like the National Science Foundation. He also wrote over 100 articles for professional journals. Rummel was part of the advisory council for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
Understanding Democide
Rummel created the term democide. He defined it as "the murder of any person or people by a government." This includes genocide, politicide, and mass murder. He explained that a government could be guilty of democide if it causes deaths carelessly. For example, if people die in camps from lack of food or medical care.
Rummel studied different types of governments. He looked at colonial, democratic, and authoritarian or totalitarian governments. He found that authoritarian and totalitarian governments caused many democides. He believed that the more power a government has without limits, the more likely it is to cause mass deaths.
Democracy and Peace
Rummel was one of the first researchers to study the democratic peace theory. This theory suggests that democracies do not go to war with each other. Rummel found that between 1816 and 2005, there were no wars between democracies. However, there were many wars between non-democracies. There were also wars between non-democracies and democracies.
Rummel defined democracy as a system where leaders are chosen in fair elections. It also includes freedom of speech, religion, and organization. The government must follow a set of laws that protect equal rights. He also said a democracy needs to be "well-established" for about three years.
He defined war as a conflict causing at least 1,000 deaths in battle. He explained that in free societies, people create many groups and power centers. This leads to a culture of talking things out and finding solutions. Also, free people tend to feel connected to other free societies. This feeling helps prevent violence between them.
Mortacide: Unintentional Deaths
Rummel also studied deaths caused by governments unintentionally. He called these deaths mortacide. This happens when a government causes deaths through negligence, lack of skill, or not caring. For example, if corruption in a government is so bad that it harms people's daily lives and shortens their life expectancy. Rummel believed that democracies have the fewest mortacide deaths.
Famine, Economy, and Happiness
Rummel included famine in democide if it was caused by a government's deliberate policy. He believed this was true for the Holodomor. He stated that there have been no famines in democracies. He also thought that democracy helps countries grow economically and improves living standards.
Rummel believed that more democracy in a nation leads to greater average happiness. He hoped that the increasing number of democracies worldwide would end wars and democide. He thought this goal might be reached by the mid-21st century.
Political Views
Rummel started as a democratic socialist. But he later became strongly anti-communist and a libertarian. He also supported economic liberalism. He criticized communism and Communist states. He also spoke out against right-wing dictatorships and the democides that happened under colonialism. These events also caused millions of deaths.
Rummel strongly supported spreading liberal democracy. However, he did not support invading another country just to change its government. He believed that when countries are more libertarian, there is less foreign violence.
Awards and Recognition
In 1999, Rummel received the Susan Strange Award. This award honors someone who challenges common ideas in international studies. In 2003, he received The Lifetime Achievement Award. This award was for his important work in studying conflict.
Rummel once claimed he was a finalist for the Nobel Prize for Peace. This was based on a news report. He later said this claim was not true. However, it still appeared in one of his books. He was nominated for the Peace Prize multiple times by Per Ahlmark.
Never Again Series
Rummel wrote a series of alternative-history novels called the Never Again Series. These books explore "what if" scenarios. For example, what if two people from modern times went back to 1906 with modern weapons and money? Their goal would be to prevent the rise of totalitarianism and world wars.
Published Works
Many of Rummel's books and articles are available for free online.
Books
- Dimensions of Nations, SAGE Publications, 1972
- Understanding Conflict and War, John Wiley & Sons, 1976
- Lethal Politics: Soviet Genocide and Mass Murder since 1917, Transaction Publishers, 1990
- China's Bloody Century: Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1900, Transaction Publishers, 1991
- The Conflict Helix: Principles & Practices of Interpersonal, Social & International Conflict & Cooperation, Transaction Publishers, 1991
- Democide: Nazi Genocide and Mass Murder, Transaction Publishers, 1992
- Death by Government, Transaction Publishers, 1997
- Power Kills: Democracy as a Method of Nonviolence, Transaction Publishers, 2002
- Never Again (series)
- The Blue Book of Freedom: Ending Famine, Poverty, Democide, and War, Cumberland House Publishing, 2007
See also
- Casualty recording
- Stéphane Courtois
