The Conflict Between Turks And Armenians

The Armenian massacres of the 1890 's are an important marker in the history of humanitarian aid by the United States. Before this point, American humanitarian aid had been up to small committee efforts thrown together for an individual international crisis. During the 1890 's humanitarian reformers became more organized and elected officials began to look at the role the United States federal government could play in international humanitarian aid. (Wilson 27) At this time Protestant missionaries and Armenian nationals joined forces with former abolitionists, woman suffragists, and newspapermen to bring the condition of the Armenians to the attention of the citizens of the United States.

The Armenian genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire against its minority Armenian population from 1915-1917 left an estimated 1.5 million dead and to date, not one individual has been tried for these egregious crimes. The mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in World War I and Jews by the Nazis in World War II shocked the conscience of the international community and led to the creation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG), in order to hold the perpetrators of crimes of this magnitude accountable. In its preamble, the UN charter sets the objective to "establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained". The genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire and Nazis made it clear that an international standard must be set in order to protect the rights of individuals. The UN has attempted to establish international law with the creation of the CPPCG and other resolutions, however, these resolutions are simply words on paper unless they are properly enforced. In this essay I will be examining whether the United Nations have been successful in its enforcement international law, specifically the CPPCG.

To put the names “Armenia” and “Turkey” together evokes a wave of grief and anger. Over the years, a very few have challenged the two and strived to bridge the gap between Armenians and Turks. Dink “crossed that bridge to become a symbol of the struggle for human and minority rights, and of the struggle for democracy and European integration” (Cheterian, 16). Hrant Dink was one of whom who challenged the perceptions of the relationship between Armenians and Turks, starting with his discovery of the newspaper Agos, founded in 1996. The newspaper, which was written and published in both Armenian and Turkish, confronted topics about the complexities that existed between both countries over the years and advocated human rights and democratization.

The Turkish massacre of the Armenians during World War I is very similar to the Holocaust but on a much

The Armenian Genocide is the name given to the events of 1915-1923 in the Ottoman Empire, which was renamed Turkey after its founding father, Mustafa Ataturk. The Muslim majority destroyed the Armenians' homes, churches, and livelihoods in a continuous murderous event that took its course over 8 years. An estimated 1 million to 1.5 million Armenians died in this Genocide, and other ethnicities died as well including Greeks and Azerbaijanis who happened to be living in Armenian neighborhoods. (University of Michigan) The victims were sometimes forced to walk on endless marches that were intended to move the entire population out of the country and east to the mountains. Any Armenians who died on the march were left on the road to rot. The Armenian Genocide was first recognized by the Russian Empire in 1915, who saw what was happening before Europe did. The leaders of the Ottoman Empire, including Ataturk, were creating a modern Turkey for Turks, at the expense of all the minorities of the Ottoman Empire, and without mercy for any who would resist.

Over the past few years, several deadly genocides have occurred. However, one of the most infamous genocides to occur was the Holocaust. The Holocaust was the “massive destruction of European Jewry during World War II, when millions were systematically persecuted and exterminated solely because of their social, cultural, ethnic, or religious characteristics” (Barel, Van Ijzendoorn, Sagi-Schwartz, Bakermans-Kranenburg). Contrary to popular belief, Jews were not the only group targeted in the Holocaust, as five million more lives were taken in groups other than the Jews. Three other groups targeted during his deadly event were the homosexuals, the mentally and physically disabled, and the ethnic minorities, whose death toll equaled 2,285,000, a combined total that clearly showed how determined the Nazis were in destroying their targeted victims in the Holocaust..

In the period after World War I and before the tragic Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide is often forgotten. During this time period the Turkish countryside was a garbage disposal for decomposing bodies that drenched the air with its vulgar stench. Within the eight year period of 1915 to 1923, an estimated three quarters of the original Armenian population was victim to blood ridden Turkish hands.

He looked up at the boy who has spoken to him in confusion. He was dark skinned, and his hair was cropped short in a buzz

Elie Wiesel is quoted saying “Denial is the final phase of genocide, a second killing.” This can be seen when on April 24th, 1915, a group of Armenians were forcibly removed from their homes, and unknown to them, marched to their death. This would begin the period known to many as the Armenian Genocide. However, many still refuse to acknowledge the killings that took place. The mass genocide of Armenians is still a taboo subject in Turkey, almost 100 years after two million citizens lost their lives.

The Armenian genocide was the first genocide of Modern World History, but it was not the first time the world saw an ethnic and religious group angry with and persecuting another. The Armenian genocide is special because it was the first time the world saw mass slaughter being planned and executed by government officials. This deliberate slaughter of Armenians has been the focus of many because of its unique persecution of a single ethnic group and the fact that the Turkish government still denies its existence. Although the Armenian genocide took place in the Middle East, it has impacted the entire world. The Armenian genocide happened during World War I. Most known genocides have happened during times of war, because most of the world or

Roughly 1 and a half million people died in the Armenian Genocide. This happened during World War I in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish government was attempting to have ethnic exclusivity. During these atrocities, the Armenians demonstrated true strength in their resistance to the Turks.The Armenians did not fight back immediately, which was a mistake.

Nowadays, there has been a major concern that everyone has underestimated one of the worst genocides in the history, the Holocaust and moved on. - Thesis statement: We should never forget about this sorrowful side of history or about its enormous negative impacts on the whole world. - Reasons: We should always memorize about this not only because of the importance of remembering history but also because we, therefore, can raise people awareness, do something to heal the victims’ pains and prevent this history occur again. II. Body

The Ottoman Empire was ruled by the Turks as they had the most conquered land, including North Africa, West Asia, and Southeast Europe, while the Armenians resided their as “second-class citizens.”4 By the start of World War I in 1914, the Ottoman Empire had suffered tremendous loss and experienced a major reduction in size, losing most of their seized land in Europe and Africa. This created tension between the Turks and the Armenians, two opposing races. The Turks practiced Islamic religion while the Armenians represented a Christian minority group. Since the Armenians were non-Muslims, they were required by the Turks to pay taxes and were denied security and any part in the government. The Armenians demanded representation in the government

The Ottoman Empire feared their empire was crashing down ,so they held an assembly to rid the Armenians (Krajeski). During the Armenian Genocide , the Armenians were victimized by the Ottoman Empire. It is imperative to educate others about genocides so it can prevent further losses.

Jayden: Starting in 1915, the Turkish government stimulated a plan to exterminate Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. Most sources agree that there were around 2 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire at the time of the massacre. By the early 1920s, when the manslaughter and deportations finally ended, 1.5 million of Turkey’s Armenians were deceased, with many more forcefully removed from their homeland in the Ottoman Empire.The genocide left the Armenian community in a wreckage , and present-day Armenia is only a fragment of the size of Armenia before the disastrous massacre committed by the Ottoman Empire.