Quote Originally Posted by Didz
Not sure about that Disruptor, there were a hell of a lot of dictators in the ancient and medieval era and not much in the way of investigative reporting and media to expose their behaviour.

But just of the top off my head what about:

Herod and the slaughter of the Israelite children.

The Pharoah of Egypt and the expulsion of the jews.

Ferdinand and Isabella and the explusion of muslims and jews after the reconquista.

The various Roman exterminations of barbaric tribes, including the Icenii after the Boudica revolt.

Boudicca's extermination of the populations of Colchester and London.

The way I see it this sort of behaviour is inherent in human nature, has been since the first man stood upright and will be until we are extinct. All that is missing in all of us is the opportunity and power to put it into practice and that power is mostly found in totalitarian regimes, which are busy murdering people even as we write.
The fundamental difference is that extermination were made on opposition, while the holocast was done on existance, cultural eradication (the most brutal form of organised massacres pre WWII) compared to physical eradication.