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Armenian genocide story
Introduction on the armenian genocide essay
Armenian genocide story
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“None of us is in a position to eliminate war, but it is our obligation to denounce it and expose it in all its hideousness. War leaves no victors, only victims” (Wiesel). Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “genocide” as “the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.” Genocides are not just considered murders—they are seen as inhumane massacres. Throughout history many genocides have occurred, ranging from the notorious Holocaust and the infamous Armenian Genocide, and to concealed killings such as the Darfur Genocide. However, no matter when or where, the underlying causes of genocides—hatred of minorities, their cultures, and their successes—have not changed. The Holocaust, …show more content…
The Young Turk government during World War 1 lead a deliberate attempt to destroy the Armenian minorities, from 1914 to 1918. At the beginning of the 11th century, Armenian political independence was brought to an end by a wave of invasions and migrations by Turkic-speaking peoples, and in the 15th and 16th centuries the region that was mainly inhabited by Armenians was annexed by the Ottoman Turks, and became a part of the vast Ottoman Empire. “Armenians retained a strong sense of communal identity, however, embodied in the Armenian language and the Armenian Church. Life for Armenian villagers was difficult and unpredictable, and they often received harsh treatment from the dominant Kurdish nomads” (Britannica). Even though Armenians were a minority surrounded by the Ottoman’s lifestyle and culture, they retained their own identity. The Muslim Ottomans shunned other cultures, and when the Armenians did not change even after being annexed, the Muslims felt hostility and hatred towards the Armenians and their culture. “The prominence and influence of the well-educated and cosmopolitan Armenian elite had a drawback in that it became a source of resentment and suspicion among Muslims” (Britannica). As the Armenian minorities thrived, the Muslims of the Ottoman Empire became envious and resentful. This jealousy added “fuel to the fire,” and the Armenian minorities were even more in …show more content…
They were aided by hired Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, and targeted the “non-Arab black Africans”—minorities of Sudan’s Darfur region. Labeling the Sudanese government’s actions as genocide has been controversial, but the ruthless, one sided killing portrays these human rights violations as a genocide. “Eyewitness accounts describe how Sudanese government forces and Janjaweed militias swept villages on horse or camel back, wielding automatic weapons and firing indiscriminately at civilians. Homes, grain stores, and crops were destroyed, while women, children, and the elderly were whipped, raped, tortured, and, in some cases, ultimately murdered” (ABC Clio). The needless violence of the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militias shows how this massacre was not just an action of self-defense or fear, but hatred. Not only were the victims killed ruthlessly, but they were also “whipped, raped, and tortured.” The overexertion of violence and the destruction of personal valuables shows how the slaughter of the non-Arabs was deeply rooted and personal. The hatred of minorities in the Darfur region caused the mass slaughter and destruction of the Arab culture. “In the late 1980s, a coalition of Arab nomads initiated attacks against Fur (a tribe) sedentary farmers after the latter began fencing in land” (ABC Clio). When the Fur tribe began to become prosperous from farming their land,
Stanton, Gregory H. "Genocides and Conflicts." World Without Genocide. World Without Genocide, 7 May 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. .
The physical and mental intent to destroy another being often unveils the darkest side of human nature. In the memoir, “An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography” dedicated to the Rwandan genocide, war hero Paul Rusesabagina states: “A sad truth of human nature is that it is hard to care for people when they are abstractions, hard to care when it is not you or somebody close to you. Unless the world community can stop finding ways to dither in the face of this monstrous threat to humanity those words never again will persist in being one of the most abused phrases in the English language and one of the greatest lies of our time.” The United Nations promised never again would they allow genocide to occur after the Second World War. Unfortunately, less
The word genocide was derived from the Greek root genos (people) and the Latin root cide (killing), and did not exist in the English language until 1944, which was the end of World War II (Power). According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, genocide is “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group.” Such violence occurred during the Holocaust and during the separation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The problems of ethnic cleansing and repression have become so prevalent in the last century that they have contributed to two world wars, over fourteen million deaths, and a new word. United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said, “Far from being consigned to history, genocide and its ilk remain a serious threat. Not just vigilance but a willingness to act are as important today as ever.”
April 24th, 1915 marked the beginning of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide. From April to October, 1918 approximately 1.8 million Armenian Turks were murdered by their fellow Turks. Leaders of this genocide were never brought to justice. The Turkish government managed to cover up the crimes, going as far as blackmailing other countries into ignoring the actions committed by the Turkish government during World War I. The United States is one of those countries. No recent American president in office has yet to acknowledge the events in the years 1915 - 1918 against the Armenian people as a genocide for fear of how it will affect the country’s relationship with Turkey. This fear has gone on to erase the topic from American discussion. The United States has a moral responsibility to hold the Turkish government responsible for this crime against humanity, as well as to take a step forward and have its citizens become educated about the Armenian Genocide. By doing so, it will reveal the cover up, hold the Turkish people responsible, and with great hope, the American citizens will come one step closer towards participating in ending future Holocausts, Rwandas, Bosnias, and Darfurs and their cover ups.
“Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, independent, and indivisible.” (Webster Online Dictionary) These rights are taken away during genocide. Throughout history genocides have taken place time and time again from the Armenian genocide of 1915, to the Darfur genocide starting in 2003, and is still in progress today. Genocide is a barbaric practice that dehumanizes people and takes away their basic human rights ; American Foreign policy should be to intervene in foreign affairs when human rights violations are evident.
The word genocide brings up images of the second world war and the Holocaust. While the actions taken against the Jews and minority groups deserve remembrance, this is not the first genocide the world has experienced. During the first world war, Armenians found themselves in a similar position of the future Jews in Nazi Germany. What is left of the Ottoman Empire begins to align with a Turkish nationalism that leads to creating a country for Turks. This brings out the changes that ultimately lead to the Armenian genocide. While this topic has been an area of conflict, the Armenian genocide is a major turning point for the Turkish people. While the name suggests only Armenians were affected, groups like the Assyrians and Greeks were also targeted for their Christian beliefs.
In order for us to find the foundation of our human nature, we must look beyond into our early years where human nature is dug deep into the roots of our history and involvements. About 97 years ago the horrific Genocide of the Armenians took place. Turkey has shown a classic example of the evil that can result by human beings. Millions of Armenians were slaughtered and murdered in front of their family members. The destruction that constantly plays out throughout the world is cuased by human beings. Hsun Tzu would have also agreed that the young Turks were in face by nature extremely evil.
Abstract: The Armenian Genocide is a lesser known tragedy that involved the death of millions of individuals over the course of some odd years. And while these murders nearly wiped out an entire people, this holocaust has been disputed for plenty of years and denied extensively to the point where it is rarely known by individuals outside of the community of which share the same background. Yet while denied and excluded from the typical narrative discussing mass exterminations and genocide, Dr. Stanton’s 8 stages of genocide can be applied and studied alongside these tragic events. Following the timeline of treatment felt upon the Armenian population by the Turks, the stages; classification, symbolization, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, extermination, and denial are found within this text .
To start off with, what is genocide? Genocide is the killing of a massive number of people of in a group. Genocide has not only been practices in the present day, but it has been practiced for m...
Our world is suffering from many tragedies. The biggest of which is genocide. Approximately nineteen million, seven hundred ten thousand, two hundred people have died in numerous genocides across the world since 1933. And yet, many civilians don’t realize that genocide is still occurring today. It has been addressed many times, but it must be said once more: This mass murder of men, women, children, innocence, and faith is not behind us. It's hard to fathom the sheer number of innocent people that have died from genocide. Countless people across the world are still being slaughtered for their race, religion, and even for living in a place that someone else wants to control.
The Turkish government had a reason to get rid of the Armenians. In the Ottoman Empire, Armenians were second class citizens that lived in harmony with the Turks before the forces of nationalism came into the picture. Even though the Armenians had to face higher taxes and second class citizenship, they were treated and accepted pretty well. When nationalism took over, things began to change. The Ottoman Empire began to fall and the Armenians were considered to be the only major Christian minority since all the other minorities had gained their independence already. The Ottoman Empire became known as the "sick man of Europe". An empire that was once strong and an independent power, was now starting to collapse. The Turks had an envision of spreading new-Pan Turkic empire to Central Asia and the only thing that came in the way of doing so was the Armenians. Because of this, Turks wanted to get rid of the Armenians. Sultan Hamid II ruled the Ottoman Empire and because of him, the empire was saved and did not fall. Despite saving the Ottoman Empire, Hamid ordered th...
"Armenian Genocide, The." The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
Paradigms of Genocide: The Holocaust, The Armenian genocide, and Contemporary Mass Destructions, 156-168. Sage Publications Inc., 1996. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1048550
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.
Print. The. Hymowitz, Sarah, and Amelia Parker. " Lessons - The Genocide Teaching Project - Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law." American University, Washington College of Law. American UniversityWashington College of Law Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, 2011.