The Armenian Genocide

Genocide, coined by Rafael Lemkin, is the calculated and systematic killing of a group of people, similar in nationality, culture, ethnic, race, or religion. The murder of members of the group, mental harming, harsh physical conditions with the aim to bring death, prevention of birth, and the conditioning of children, are all acts which fall under genocide. During the 15th century, Armenia a Christian nation was integrated into the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was predominantly Muslim and there was little tolerance for any religion, thus, Armenians were subjected to unfair and arbitrary rules. They had to pay higher taxes, held no civil rights, and held little influence in political or legal ongoings. Despite these limitations, Armenians …show more content…
Many Turks believed that the Armenians were more loyal to Christian nations and governments. These fears were confirmed when some Armenians began to fight for Russia and tensions only rose as the Ottoman Empire fragmented. After a military attack on Russia that failed, Turkish people blamed the Armenians. Infuriated by the flagrant interaction and siding of the enemy, in 1915 the Turkish government instigated the first step of what would go down in history, as one of the most extreme examples of the abuse and violation of human rights and morals. Almost 1.5 million Armenians were killed or deported during this time period. The killings of the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire clearly fit the requirements of a genocide, because it was a deliberate and intentional attack stemming from prejudice, in which, basic human rights were denied and …show more content…
On the day of April 24, 1915, 250 Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople were arrested, tortured and executed, a whole generation was wiped out in this single act. The Turkish government proceeded swiftly and efficiently, cutting off the head of any chance of an organized opposition from the Armenians by taking out the leaders. From there, the slaughter of Armenians began. They were sent on death marches and forced to travel aimlessly without sustenance. Killing squads otherwise known as butcher battalions, containing murders and ex-convicts were created by the Young Turks.They drowned Armenians, pushed masses of people off cliffs, burned them alive, and crucified them. It was even said, that according to several diplomatic observations that the Euphrates River was crowded with hundreds of thousands of corpses, staining the water red. Clearly these methods of killings were meant to inflict maximum pain, fitting the qualification for genocide. In the Turkification of the Armenians, government organized groups ripped children away from their families, and gave them to Turkish families, in order to convert them to Islam. Armenian women were raped and forced to serve as slaves in harem, there was no pity for the “infidels”, who were viewed as animals. [Document 1] Additionally, Armenians were transported in

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