Long Night’s Beginning: The History of Concentration Camps (Part 1)

In the first episode of a two part series on concentration camps, Emerson and Conall discuss the history of concentration camps from their origins in Spanish-ruled Cuba during the 1890s to their adaptation by various European states over the next several decades, including the British in the Boer War (1899-1902) and the Ottoman Empire in the Armenian Genocide of 1915. We emphasize that concentration camps can take many forms and that they were used for various purposes in their early history. We also briefly analyze the historical legacy of Nazi Germany’s camp system and how it has influenced the public perception of what concentration camps are supposed to look like. FACTUAL CORRECTION: The Red Cross was founded in 1863 in response to the Italian Wars of Independence (particularly the Second Italian War of Independence), not the Crimean War. Next week: we discuss the Nazi camp system in-depth and how it evolved over the 12 years that the Nazis ruled Germany. Main Works Consulted (good for additional reading on the topics covered here!):One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps by Andrea PitzerHero of the Empire: The Boer War, A Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard Cuba: A New History by Richard Gott Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder