A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack, either approved or condoned by government or military authorities, directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious, or other, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes, businesses, and religious centres, property. The term was originally used to denote extensive violence against Jews in the Russian Empire, as well as violence against Armenians in Baku in 1905-1907, and a series of anti-German pogroms in Russia in 1915. Pogroms often affect members of middlemen minorities.
