The Armenian Genocide

The U.N or the United Nations was created after World War II to prevent future world wars and to establish an international organization that advocated peace through negotiation rather than military force.The United Nations is responsible for keeping world peace and providing safety for all peoples. In 1948, after World War II had finally come to an end, the U.N. had issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which consisted of thirty articles that served to protect the people politically, socially and economically. These articles were formed as a result of many atrocities of war in an attempt to ensure that such loss, chaos and disorder would never occur again. Had it been in existence, the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide and the genocide

inflicted upon the European Jews by the Christian Crusaders during the Holy Wars would have violated countless articles in the Declaration of Human Rights.
Long before the Holocaust had even occurred, there was a vast population of Europeans who were anti-semitic and hostile towards Jews. Although the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason had stressed tolerance towards religions like Judaism, anti-semitism had still managed to spread its way back to Europe. After Germany’s defeat in World War I, many Germans like Adolf Hitler were discontent and had begun to blame the Jews for their loss among other problems in their society. Adolf Hitler, a former soldier who had fought in World War I, had weaseled his way into Germany’s government and had been given the title, Chancellor. One year later in 1934, after the death of Germany’s president, Hitler had become the leader of a totalitarian nation. Initially, Hitler had targeted Communists and Gypsies among other groups but his hatred for the Jewish population had still remained. Not long after, the Nuremberg Laws were passed under Hitler’s rule, further stripping the Jews of their rights. Under these laws, Jews were denied citizenship, were forced to wear yellow stars to identify themselves, and were prohibited from intermarrying and engaging in sexual relationships with Germans. In September of 1939, about a year after Kristallnacht, Poland was occupied under Nazi rule, burdening the large Jewish population and signifying the beginning of the Holocaust.(“The Holocaust”)
The injustice towards the Jews had not begun with bloodshed but had still forced the Jews to endure many misfortunes. The German forces in Poland had slowly by slowly seized the belongings of the oppressed Jews. They had removed them from their homes and had transferred them into ghettos. (“The Holocaust”)Many Jews were unaware of the fate that was in store for them and instead had begun to count their blessings, thinking that the ghettos were a save haven that brought the Jewish community together.(Wiesel 11-12) The ghettos were stricken with poverty, as many people were unemployed. Due to the lack of facilities and resources that were distributed in the ghettos, tons of Jews had died due to starvation or diseases. By 1940, Hitler had occupied many European countries like Belgium, Norway, etc. forcing Jews into the overcrowded Polish ghettos and Russian cities under the control of the Nazis. In 1941, The Nazi forces had begun to transfer unhealthy, old or weak Jews into camps. Some of these camps had later become massive killing sites. The most popular and largest death camp was Auschwitz killing a minimum of 2 million people. The Nazis had used many tactics to mass murder the innocent European Jews. They had resorted to gas chambers, that were designed to killed a large amount of people at one time using carbon monoxide. They had also shot and killed many. The merciless Nazis had burned the bodies of the Jews in the scorching fire of the crematorium as an attempt to keep these murders a secret. (“The Holocaust”)“He told us that having been chosen because of his strength, he had been forced to place his own father’s body into the furnace.”( Wiesel 35) They had physically, mentally and emotionally destroyed the Jewish victims.
The Holocaust and many historical events influenced the creation of the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights. The Holocaust had violated Articles 7,9 18, and many others in the UN’s declaration.The German Nazis had not considered the Jewish population of Europe as equals and had instead discriminated them, violating Article 7 of the Declaration of Human Rights which stated that that all people deserve the same equal protection of the law without discrimination. The Jews had separate and unfair laws that impacted all aspects of their lives. They were forced out of their homes and were restricted due to the Nuremberg Laws.(“The Holocaust”) The Holocaust had also broken Article 9 of the declaration which issued that nobody should be randomly exiled, incarcerated or arrested without a legitimate reason. During the Holocaust, the Jews were forced to abandon their homes and were transferred to ghettos or camps.(“The Holocaust”) Another example of an article that was influenced by the Holocaust was Article 18. Under this law, all humans are entitled the freedom of thoughts and religion. People are allowed to convert to other religions and can practice and teach it both publicly and privately. The Jews were denied this right and were killed or oppressed if they had three or four grandparents that were Jewish because the faith of their ancestors had determined their faith instead of their own personal beliefs. During this period, Jews were not able to change their religion or beliefs. (“The Holocaust”)The Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide both had controlled the establishment of such articles due to the utter monstrosity and inhumanity that had occurred at the time.
For many years prior to the Armenian Genocide, tension between the Armenian Christians and the Muslim Turks under the Ottoman Empire was gradually increasing.

The Armenians under the Muslim Empire were unhappy and were mistreated. Although the Armenians were allowed to practice their faith freely, they had few to none legal and political rights. Despite the injustice the Armenians endured, they still were very prosperous and wealthy causing the Turkish to detest the Armenians more. Many Turks had even begun to raise suspicions on Armenian loyalty that had ultimately led to the mass murder of Armenians. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire fought alongside Austria-Germany against the Allied Powers. The military leaders were convinced that the Armenians were traitors and would shift their loyalty to Russia, a Christian nation. On April 24,1915, the Armenian Genocide had finally begun after the Turkish government arrested Armenian intellectuals and had later been killed. Many Armenians were forced out of there homes and had to walk on death marches through the desert without food and water.(“The Armenian Genocide”) “Frequently, the marchers were stripped naked and forced to walk under the scorching sun until they dropped dead. People who stopped to rest were shot. People who stopped to rest were shot.”(“The Armenian Genocide”)The Young Turks, a group of reformers had created groups that consisted of murders and other criminals.(“The Armenian Genocide”) “They drowned people in rivers, threw them off cliffs, crucified them and burned them alive. In short order, the Turkish countryside was littered with Armenian corpses.”(The Armenian Genocide”) During this period of chaos and terror, women were raped and forced to be sex slaves, children were kidnapped and many were forced to convert to Islam. The genocide had finally come to an end in 1922 and by then, more than a million people had perished because of it. (“The Armenian

Genocide”)