Introduction
Studying the factors that went into the Armenian genocide not only gives us an understanding of a historical moment but also provides us with the knowledge for finding out if the mass murders actually occurred. Did the Armenian genocide really happen? Or is it all just a myth? The history that comes with the Armenian genocide is a victim of historical distortion, state-sponsored falsification, and deep divisions between the Armenians and the Turkish people (Mustafa 1). In 1915, it was said that leaders of the Turkish government set in motion a plan to expel and massacre Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. However, the Turkish government does not acknowledge these events, in fact it is still illegal in Turkey to discuss what happened to the Armenians (History.com Staff 1). The elimination of the Armenians was the model of modern genocide, the act in which a certain state adopts a scheme geared to the destruction of a group of its own citizens (Gust 1). In order to understand why the Turks continue the denial of being involved in the criminal act that was eliminating the Armenian people, we must first consider both the Armenian people and the Turkish peoples’ thoughts and knowledge of the events that took place, and only then, after extensive analysis of the evidence recovered, then we can come to a conclusion as to what really happened all those years ago.
My Investigation
To be able to figure out whether the Armenian genocide actually happened or not we must first gather evidence from both the Turkish and Armenian people and get their sides of what happened. Only then will we be able to come to a resolution of who really denies it all. Using internet articles, stories from survivors, informational books and any ...
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...ic cleansing of a certain race, and there is no reason for wanting to create the perfect race. The Turkish government set out to do just that, they wanted a takeover to occur, they were aiming to wipe out a whole race, because of what? To have a mono-ethnic and mono-religious society? To become “perfect”, well it needs to be recognized by all, especially the Turks. The Turkish need to realize that they cannot put the blame on others, the killings were by their hands not any other group. It’s hard to admit something so far into someone’s past, and some have a hard time reminiscing those memories because they are ashamed of what they did to people just like them. What people of today’s society need to realize is that just because it’s hard to admit that their people did something so horrible, does not mean that it does not need to be acknowledged nor appointed to.
The book “Forgotten Fire” was written by Adam Bagdasarian as a piece of historical fiction. Even though this book isn’t non-fiction it’s still based on true facts about the Armenian Genocide. Vahan is a 12 year old boy living in Bitlis, Turkey. Vahan lives the life of privilege as the youngest son of a wealthy family. Being the youngest son he has 3 brothers by the name or Diran, Tavel, and Sisak. Also he has 2 sisters by the name of Oskina and Armenouhi. This story was based on a true story about the Armenian Genocide in Vahan Kenderian point of view. Throughout the story Vahan is constantly losing friends and family while running for his life from the gendarmes. The Armenian Genocide was lead by Turkey which started in 1923 and lasted for 8 years. The Turkish government killed one and a half million Armenians during the 8 year process. This is an essay on the story of Vahan Kenderian before, during, and after the Armenian Genocide and how it changed his life.
In short, the majority of Turkey’s allies did nothing about the ordeal in the end. Basically brushing the entire event off. Eventually, the already small and fragile Armenian republic was given no support from the allies as a whole, and collapsed upon itself. As for the Turkish, in the successful obliteration of the vast majority of the Armenian people, they destroyed many priceless masterpieces, libraries and churches that had belonged to the Armenians. In Turkey, it’s illegal to even mention the topic of the Armenian Genocide.
This was an example of genocide that we can learn from and know what genocide is so we can stop genocide from occurring in the future because we are the next generation of the world..
Works Cited "Armenian Genocide, The." The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
This event left a mark in our history since its objective was to generate hatred among ethnics. It is in our nature, the human nature, to take our own culture as a point of reference to judge others, this is a phenomenon called ethnocentrism and it is fuelled by prejudice and stereotyping. Throughout history, whenever a technologically advanced group encounters another race, they often think of them as wild, barbaric and inferior.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Willsher, Kim and Sam Jones. "Turkey Warns France over Armenian Genocide Law." The Guardian. The Guardian, 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 06 Nov. 2013
I’s contribution towards the severity of the Armenian Genocide’s casualties, foreign aid, and how the genocide was reported to the world. The main sources used for this investigation are the Treatment of the Armenians by James Bryce, which describes the severity of the Armenian condition in Turkey during the World War I era, as well as the Burning Tigris by Peter Balakian, which emphasizes World War I’s conditions and how they affected the Armenians in Turkey during that time. B. Summary of Evidence There was stirring animosity between the Armenians and the Turks prior to World War I, in 1894, thousands of Armenians were massacred by the Turkish due to their religious affiliation with Christianity, which juxtaposed the Islamic Turks with whom they lived with (Greene 125). The Armenians living in Turkey have been ostracized ever since, and increased tension between the Turks and Armenians was sparked by the beginning of World War I.
With the knowledge of a previous attack against Christian groups, it is surprising the lack of aid that comes from the world. In an article published in 1920 that states “Armenia is a victim both of the war and the peace, persecuted by her enemies and now almost deserted by her friends.” 9 While the Armenians had the sympathy of the world, “the fear of opening the vexing Eastern question... has held back the administration of justice.” 10 Armenia looked to Germany, Russia, Britain, and America but did not find relief. To the Armenians, “no government or nation has ever attempted to stop,” 11 the attacks against them. During these attacks, it is estimated that the Armenian genocide had “one million or 1.5 million victims,” 12 This number is strictly the deaths of Armenians and does not include groups like the Assyrians and Greeks that were also killed during the
The Cambodian Genocide took place from 1975 to 1979 in the Southeastern Asian country of Cambodia. The genocide was a brutal massacre that killed 1.4 to 2.2 million people, about 21% of Cambodia’s population. This essay, will discuss the history of the Cambodian genocide, specifically, what happened, the victims and the perpetrators and the world’s response to the genocide.
Both of these cases share similar characteristics, but because the genocides differed in motivations and certain key mechanisms, it can be concluded that each case holds its own uniqueness, therefore the differences outweigh the
Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity: "Armenians in Ottoman Turkey and the Armenian Genocide. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005. (Accessed March 20, 2014).
Africa has been an interesting location of conflicts. From the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea to the revolutionary conflict in Libya and Egypt, one of the greatest conflicts is the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide included two tribes in Rwanda: Tutsis and Hutus. Upon revenge, the Hutus massacred many Tutsis and other Hutus that supported the Tutsis. This gruesome war lasted for a 100 days. Up to this date, there have been many devastating effects on Rwanda and the global community. In addition, many people have not had many acknowledgements for the genocide but from this genocide many lessons have been learned around the world.
The Armenian Genocide Started in Ottomans Empire. Which really shocked people because they have lived in peace for 3,000 years. After the peace was disrupted the rulers created restrictions against the Armenians Christians like unequal and unjust laws forcing them to pay higher taxes, have fewer political rights, and legal rights. Many Armenian men were forced into labor camps which had a highest death rate. They built roads and were almost like a human pack. Those who did not die in the labor area were most likely shot. When the orders were given to exterminate the Armenians it was in a coded telegram then, round ups began in April of 1915. The Turkish rounded up different types of people from their homes and were jailed, tortured, hanged or shot. Another torture method was a large number of people arrested where they were tied together and taken to outskirts of their town where they were shot and killed by the death squads or Turkish soldiers (United Human Rights Council).
On April 24, 1915 the Armenian genocide began. 1 million and 5 hundred-thousand people got killed because of Turkish government. Many of them got raped, enslaved and murdered. For instance, they drowned people in rivers, burned them alive, executed and etc. They also kidnapped children and sent to Turkish families. In many places, Turkish people rapped and used Armenian women as a slave. “The Armenians marched by Turkish soldiers” picture in “artvoice.com” website shows the Armenians nearby prison in Mezierh by armed Turkish soldiers. Also only 25% Armenians deported to the deserts of Syria and Iraq. After the war between Armenian and Turks, only 380’000 Armenian remained in the Ottoman Empire. In June 1915, 25 percent of the Armenian population was deported t...
The movement is a powder keg ready to explode. With the majority of Kurds living within its boundaries, no country faces this threat more than Turkey. Because of Turkey’s concept of unified, cohesive nationhood-in which the existence of minorities are not acknowledged- these tensions in Turkey are more difficult to handle than else where. In southeastern Turkey, extreme fighting and guerilla tactics are used by the Kurds in support of their political parties. The Turkish military is actively stationed in this area now.