Concentration Camps as a Twentieth-century Tool of Power and Social Transformation

The author compares 12 concentration camp systems, from US camps in the Philippines (1901–1902) to Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian camps in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995). He uses comparative history for macro-causal analysis, discusses the challenges in defining concentration camps, and compares camps with other institutions. Some of the features outlined in the paper can be found in all concentration camps (forceful isolation of masses of people in accord with a “collectivist logic”, power, and cruelty), while others are limited to certain sub-types (forced labor, medical experiments). The author proves that concentration camps were predominantly a tool that was intended to help win wars, reinforce and stabilize power, and create a new, obedient form of citizen. Therefore, camps were one of the many methods used to pacify hostile populations and internal opposition. At the same time, their potential became apparent and led to the rise and spread of absolute power structures