Central and Eastern Europe experienced two episodes of genocidal mass violence in the twentieth century: the Holocaust and the wars in the former Yugoslavia. What leads political leaders to devise such policies? Why do large numbers of individuals acquiesce or actively participate in mass atrocity? This course examines a variety of explanations for this phenomenon and for the international community's generally ineffectual attempts to stop genocide. We will begin with an in-depth look into the Holocaust, then analyze how the Holocaust helped to shape international views on human rights and genocide, and finally delve into the wars in Yugoslavia to assess how effective, or ineffective, human rights policies are in practice.