In his book “Balkan Genocides: Holocaust and ethnic cleansing in the twentieth century”, Mojzes (2011) presents a comprehensive, detailed and balanced account of the Holocaust, ethnic cleansing and genocides experienced in the Balkan Peninsula during the 20th century. When referring to the Balkans, the author includes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, the European part of Turkey and Slovenia. Mojzes (2011) places these events in their correct historical contexts, laying bare the common misconceptions of these genocides, some of which have remained unacknowledged to this day. He notes that there were three main factors that helped lead to these genocides, especially during World War II, which was the height of genocides and ethnic cleansing. These forces included huge and powerful ideological systems that governed various strong militaries and powerful governments. They included Nazi-dominated Germany, in unity with Italian fascists who were in conflict with Marxist-inspired Soviet communism which had a temporary friendship with Western capitalist democratic nations. There are also other small ethnic groups or nations that were regularly at war with each other as they went from being enemies to allies or from allies to enemies. Smaller European nations, such as those located on the Balkan Peninsula, found themselves indulgent in these clashes, both by being victims of these powerful and brutal confrontations and occupations, and by supporting and collaborating with various military takeovers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. As a result, millions of people have been killed, tortured, imprisoned, displaced, raped, injured, robbed and their homes burned. Mojzes (2011) further notes that genocides are alleged to have been the result of plans drawn up by powerful leaders such as Stalin, Hitler, and Mao Zedong, among others. For this reason, religions or entire nations are excluded from the blame game for the genocide, which is not true. Mojzes (2011) highlights how ethnoreligiosity has uniquely contributed to ethnic cleansing and genocides in the Balkan region. It defines ethnoreligiosity as a certain symbiotic fusion that combines one's religious and ethnic heritage as a way to offer a sense of collective and personal identity. The role of ethnoreligiosity in Balkan genocides and ethnic cleansing is highlighted by the extent of ethnic cleansing during Yugoslavia's wars of disintegration. The ethnic stratification prevalent in the early 1990s resulted in rivalry, whereby neighboring ethnic groups or nations saw each other as rivals or a threat. Differences in skin color, language, eye color, or hair became the basis for determining how people treated each other. There was conflict between politicians and religious leaders as they tried to defend their people. Mojzes (2011) notes that despite the fact that these events occurred, some problems of loitering between the various religions and nations of the Balkans are still prevalent. These problems must be addressed by understanding the Holocaust, ethnic cleansing and past genocides in the Balkan Peninsula. Zinn (2015) in his piece “Columbus and Western Civilization” evaluates American history from the perspective of Native Americans. Native Americans were also called “Arawak Indians” by Christopher Columbus because he thought they were in Asia. To achieve his goal, Zinn used Columbus' journals and another excerpt to study American history, since there were no other scholarly materials. For many Americans, Columbus wasa hero or the man who discovered America. However, Zinn (2015) portrays Columbus as ruthless, greedy, and arguably incompetent at navigation. Columbus was not as special or heroic as many historians have portrayed him to be. His main goal was to acquire as much wealth and gold as possible to make his employers and financiers in Spain happy. Zinn refers to some eminent and famous scholars and historians to advance his claims against Columbus. For example, he references de las Casas to show that even in the 1490s Columbus was known by some Europeans as a brutal person and a murderer. Zinn (2015) states that Columbus initiated the cruelty and brutality against humans of different ethnicities witnessed throughout American history. According to the author, individuals like Columbus should be held responsible for various genocidal crimes that occurred in their time. Furthermore, Zinn (2015) notes that there has been a problem with how certain issues are presented in some history textbooks and other works. Note that some history textbooks have painted the picture that every American is alike and common independence and freedom unite everyone. He insists on the need to recognize the difference and division that has been present among Americans, such as the division between the powerful and the powerless and between the rich and the poor. The author also emphasizes that historians should not overly rely on what happened, but should also focus on correcting the persecution and marginalization prevalent in the past. It is for this reason that he notes that it is important for us to realize that Western industrialization has been strongly linked to the persecution and marginalization of indigenous peoples located in the New World. Rather than focus on the idealized vision of North American colonization that is usually revisited in many history texts, the author focuses on the bitter facts regarding the brutality of colonization. Zinn uses various quotes from various Native Americans to reveal the greed for wealth and property possessed by the English colonizers, which led to the use of violence and brutality against the Native Americans. In “The Law Stood Squarely on Its Head: US Legal Doctrine, Indigenous Self-Determination, and the Question of World Order,” Ward Churchill addresses the land issues facing the American Indian community. Churchill illustrates how various laws put in place by the United States to help Americans continue to fail miserably when used to address various issues facing indigenous Americans. It highlights what the United States has done to Native North Americans, who continue to struggle for freedom and property, facing various cultural issues, their repression, resistance, and other struggles with Indian ideologies. The author's main claim in this excerpt is how the United States was able to dispossess American Indians of their indigenous lands. Churchill notes that Through exploitation and misinterpretation of the Doctrine of Discovery and Rights of Conquest, the United States was able to acquire more than 97.5% of Native American Indian lands. He also highlighted the role of the various opinions given by the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, John Marshall, when dealing with land issues. Marshall has overseen several major cases on indigenous lands including Fletcher v. Peck in 1810, the case of Lessee v. McIntosh of Johnson & Graham in 1823 and the Cherokee Nation case, which played an important role in shaping land laws that are still in use in the modern era. The natives were forbidden to practice their spiritual practices, they were forbidden to learn the.