Causes and Prevention of Genocide: Armenia Case Study
The Armenian genocide is one of the most infamous crimes against mankind, yet is not nearly accredited as such. Even Adolf Hitler, who is responsible for the deaths of over six million Jews alone, has said, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of Armenians?” (“Popular Quotes”), clearly depicting the ignorance and disavowal of the deaths of over 1.5 million Christian Armenians in Europe during World War I. In the years between 1915 and 1918 the Turkish government carried out a genocide against the Armenian population of the former Ottoman Empire. The Young Turks, who also caused the 1909 revolution which weakened the Ottoman Empire severely, are held responsible for the genocide. …show more content…
Following this, the primary target of this eradication process became the Armenian minority, though the feud between Turks and Armenians was not something new. Turkish people have always had disputes with their neighbours, simply because Armenians have statistically always been wealthier, more educated and of higher social class. The usual scapegoat-propaganda, in which a specific group is blamed for the misery of the whole nation, was carried out, and the hatred against Armenians quickly increased. Another cause of the genocide was the First World War, which started in 1914 with Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia. The Ottoman Empire was one of the key Axis powers, while Russia was a strong Allied Force. The Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were henceforth torn between these two super powers, and in order to prevent Armenia’s support for Russia, the Young Turks had to rid the empire of the minority entirely. The fear of the Armenians showing loyalty to the Christian Russian Empire drove the Muslim Young Turks to depict the Armenians as the ultimate political …show more content…
Not realizing a genocide in its early stage and not intervening with such can lead to irrevocable consequences that will forever live on as a feeling of guilt and thus be passed on. The denial of the Armenian genocide up to this day is a disgrace and blasphemy towards the 1.5 million victims of the Young Turk regime, and not actively working against this ignorance helps the perpetrators justify their actions in the future. One of the prime examples of that is Hitler. The Turks were never tried for the crimes committed against the Armenian minority, so why should Germany have been tried for the murder of six million Jews? When one perpetrator can live a life without guilt, so will others. And that we have to, by all means,
The Armenian genocide is one of the most infamous crimes against mankind, yet is not nearly accredited as such. Even Adolf Hitler, who is responsible for the deaths of over six million Jews alone, has said, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of Armenians?” (“Popular Quotes”), clearly depicting the ignorance and disavowal of the deaths of over 1.5 million Christian Armenians in Europe during World War I. In the years between 1915 and 1918 the Turkish government carried out a genocide against the Armenian population of the former Ottoman Empire. The Young Turks, who also caused the 1909 revolution which weakened the Ottoman Empire severely, are held responsible for the genocide. …show more content…
Following this, the primary target of this eradication process became the Armenian minority, though the feud between Turks and Armenians was not something new. Turkish people have always had disputes with their neighbours, simply because Armenians have statistically always been wealthier, more educated and of higher social class. The usual scapegoat-propaganda, in which a specific group is blamed for the misery of the whole nation, was carried out, and the hatred against Armenians quickly increased. Another cause of the genocide was the First World War, which started in 1914 with Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia. The Ottoman Empire was one of the key Axis powers, while Russia was a strong Allied Force. The Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were henceforth torn between these two super powers, and in order to prevent Armenia’s support for Russia, the Young Turks had to rid the empire of the minority entirely. The fear of the Armenians showing loyalty to the Christian Russian Empire drove the Muslim Young Turks to depict the Armenians as the ultimate political …show more content…
Not realizing a genocide in its early stage and not intervening with such can lead to irrevocable consequences that will forever live on as a feeling of guilt and thus be passed on. The denial of the Armenian genocide up to this day is a disgrace and blasphemy towards the 1.5 million victims of the Young Turk regime, and not actively working against this ignorance helps the perpetrators justify their actions in the future. One of the prime examples of that is Hitler. The Turks were never tried for the crimes committed against the Armenian minority, so why should Germany have been tried for the murder of six million Jews? When one perpetrator can live a life without guilt, so will others. And that we have to, by all means,