This book suggests a new approach to explaining mass violence. It tries to explore what is going on in societies before, during, and after periods of widespread bloodshed, and it attempts to trace the social roots of human destruction. The study includes an outline and rationale for the new approach, probes its potential in several case studies, and offers general conclusions about processes typical of what I call “extremely violent societies.”

Violence is a fact of human life. Some people may be lucky enough not to experience it. But no society is free of violence, of murder, rape, or robbery. This book, however, deals with extraordinary processes that entail unusually high levels of violence and brutality, which is why I speak of “extremely” violent societies.

“Mass violence” means widespread physical violence against non-combatants, that is, outside of immediate fighting between military or paramilitary personnel. Mass violence includes killings, but also forced removal or expulsion, enforced hunger or undersupply, forced labor, collective rape, strategic bombing, and excessive imprisonment – for many strings connect these to outright murder and these should not be severed analytically. By extremely violent societies, I mean formations where various population groups become victims of massive physical violence, in which, acting together with organs of the state, diverse social groups participate for a multitude of reasons. Simply put, the occurrence and the thrust of mass violence depends on broad and diverse support, but this is based on a variety of motives and interests that cause violence to spread in different directions and in varying intensities and forms.