Pogrom
A pogrom is an organized or tolerated attack on an ethnic or religious minority, especially the violent persecution of Jews in the Russian Empire.
Kishinev pogrom: An anti-Jewish pogrom in Kishinev, then part of the Russian Empire, on April 19–21, 1903. Its international repercussions made it one of the best-known pogroms.
Pale of Settlement: A western region of the Russian Empire where most Jews were legally required to live from 1791 to 1917. Its restrictions concentrated much of the empire’s Jewish population in areas exposed to recurring violence.
Blood libel: The false accusation that Jews murder Christians to use their blood in religious rituals. Such accusations could inflame hostility and serve as a pretext for attacks.
Jewish emigration from Eastern Europe: The large-scale movement of Jews from Eastern Europe, especially to the Americas and Western Europe, from the late nineteenth century onward. Violence and insecurity contributed to migration from the Russian Empire.
Massacre: The killing of a large number of people, especially civilians or people unable to defend themselves. Unlike the broader category of massacre, pogrom usually implies group-targeted persecution and tolerated disorder.
Odessa pogroms: Violent anti-Jewish attacks that occurred in Odessa, including major outbreaks in 1821, 1859, 1871, and 1905. Repeated outbreaks there reveal the recurrence of anti-Jewish violence in imperial cities.
May Laws: A set of restrictive Russian regulations imposed on Jews in 1882 after the assassination of Alexander II. They followed the 1881 pogrom wave and reinforced official discrimination against Jews.
Antisemitism: Hostility, prejudice, or discrimination directed against Jews as Jews. Anti-Jewish pogroms draw on broader antisemitic beliefs and political campaigns.
Zionism: A Jewish nationalist movement supporting the establishment and development of a Jewish homeland. Pogroms intensified arguments for Jewish self-determination and collective security.
Genocide: Acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. A pogrom can involve mass killing without meeting genocide’s specific legal definition.