Genocide+Papers

Period 2
 * Armenia Genocide  ||
 * ** Jezebel Martinez ** ||
 * ** 9/17/2012 ** ||
 * ** Jezebel Martinez ** ||
 * ** 9/17/2012 ** ||

It is been proved that the Armenian Genocide was carried out by the “young Turk”Party and it is acknowledged to have been one of the first modern genocide of the 20th century. What happened in Armenia was genocide. The first genocide of the 20th century was carried out by the “young Turk” government of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 – 1916. One and a half million Armenians were killed out of a total of two and a half million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian Genocide was mastermind by the centeral committee of the Young Turk Park which was dominated by Mehmed Talat [Pasha], Ismail Enver [Pasha], and Ahmed Djemal [Pasha]. They were a racist group whose idiology was articulated by Zia Gokalp, Dr. Mehamed Nazim, and Dr. Behaeddin Shakir. The Armenian Genocide was directed by a special organization (Teshkilati Mahsusa) set up by the committee of Union and Progress, which created special “butcher battalion” made up of violent criminals relesed from prison. The Armenian Genocide ocurred in a systematic fashion, which proves that it was directed by the Young Turk government first the Armenians in the army were disarmed placed into labor battalions, and then killed. Then the Armenian political and intellectual leader were rounded up on April 24, 1915 and then killed. Armenians all over the world commemorate this great tragedy on April 24, because it was on that day in 1915 when 300 Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers, and profesional in constantinopole were killed. Most Armenian in America are children or grandchildren of the survivors, although there are still many survivors amongst us.

The Armenians are an ancient people whose home has been in the Southern Caucasus since the 7th century B.C. Mongol, Persial, Russia, and Ottoman (Turkish) empires have fought on and over this region for many centuries. In the, 4th century A.D. on of Armenia’s Kings became, and Christianity has been the Armenian state religion ever since. After Islam was founded in Arabia in the 7th century A.D., it became the state religion in all the countries surrounding Armenia, but the Christian church, although politically they lived under a series of foreing regimes and as a result often experienced hardship, persecution, descrimination and abuse. At the end of the 19th century, Turkey and Russia were recovering from a war with each other. A surge in Armenian nationalism gave the Armenian leaders confidence to demand political reforms. This was unwelcome to either Ottoman and Russia powers, afraid of armed partisian resisatence or even the revival of interestate war. They began to repress Armenians even more harshly. In some Turkish Armenian provinces largescale massacres were carried out from 1894 – 1896 in Russia, Armenia, the Tsar closed hundreds of Armenian school, libraries, and newspaper offices and in 1903 confiscated the property of the Armenian Church.

The Armenian Genocide is widely corroborated by the international genocide scholars. The international Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), consisting of world’s foremost experts on genocide according to IAGS. “Every book on comparative genocide studies in the English language contains a segment on the Armenian Genocide. Leading texts in the international law of genocide such as William Schabas’s Genocide in International Laws cite the Armenian Genocide as presursor to the Holocaust and as a precedent for the law on crime against humanity. Hebrew University scholar Yehuda suggests of the Armenian Genocide. “This Polish Jurist Raphael Lemkin, when he coined the Turkish extermination of the Jews ad difining examples of what he ment by genocide. The 1st stage of genocide is //Classification//. //Classification// is when all cultures havecategories to distingush people into “us and them” by ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality. In Armenia the Kings became a Christina, and Christinanity has been the Armenian State religion ever since. Thus Armenia does meet the stage of Classification. The 2nd stage of genocide is //Symbolization//. //Symbolization// is when the name people “Jews” or “Gypsies”, or distinguishes them by color or dress; and apply the symbol to members of groups. In Armenia they did use Symbolization. Thus Armenia does meet the stage of Symbolization.

The 3rd stage of genocide is //Dehumanization//. //Dehumanization// is when one denies the humanity of other group. Dehumanization overcomes the normal human revulsion against murder.In Armenia hundreds of thousands of Armenians were driven out of their homes and either massacred or force-marched unti the desert until they died. Thus Armenia does meet the stage of Dehumanization. The 4th stage of genocide is //Organization//. //Organization// is when the state organized the genocide using militias. In Armenia the genocide was conducted in a well – organized way, making use of new technology available. Thus Armenia does meet the stage of Organization.

The 5th genocide is //Polarization//. //Polarization// is when to give and arbitray direction, or special meaning or application to. In Armenia deportees were forced to march to consitration camps on foot. Thus Armenia does meet the stage of Polarization. The 6th stage of genocide is //Preparation//. //Preparation// is when victims are identified and separated out because of their ethnic or religious identity. Members of the victim groups are forced to wear identifying symbols. In Armenia their property is expropriated. They are often segregated into ghettoes, deported into concentration camps, and confined to a famine – struck region and starved. Thus Armenia does meet the stage of Preparation.

The 7th stage of genocide is //Extermination//. //Extermination// is when the killers do not believe their victims to be fully human. It is sponsored by the state; the armed forces often work with militas to do the killing. In Armenia Ismail Ever Pasha, Ahmed Cemal Pasha, Mehamed Talat Bey, and a host of others were convicted by the Turkish court and condemed to death for “the extermination and destruction of the Armenians.” Thus Armenia does meet the stage of Extermination. The 8th stage is //Denial//. //Denial// is when perpetractors of genocide dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies, try to cover up the evidence and intimidate the witness. They deny that they committed any crimes, and often blame what happened on the victims. In Armenia on the march, people often would be denied food and water and many were brutalized and killed by their “gurds” or by ‘’marauders.” Thus Armenia does meet the stage of Denial.

By the 1800’s the powerful Ottoman Empire was in serious decline, while the nations of Europe had embraced innovation only the Armenian and the Arabs of the Middle East remained stuck in backward now under the autocratic rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid. By the 1890’s young Armenian began to press for politic reforms, calling for a constitutional government, the right to vote and an end to discriminatory practices such as special taxes levied solely against them because they were Christians, but the Sultan’s days were numbered. And in July 1908 reform-minded Turkish nacionalist known as “Young Turk” forced the Sultan to allow a constitutional government and guarantee basic right. The youngTurks were ambitious junior officers in the Turkish Army who hoped to halt their country’s steady decline. However the Armenian hopes were dashed when three of the young Turkss seized full control of the government via a coup in 1913. This triumvirate consisting of Mehmed Talaat, Ismail Enver and Ahmed Djemal came to wield dictatorial powers and concocted their own ambitious plans for the future of Turkey. They wanted to expand the borders of Turkey and create a new Turkish Empire, but there was a big problem the traditional historic homeland of Armenia and on that land was a large population of Christian Armenians totaling two million persons. Along with the yong Turk’s there was a dramatic rise in Islamic fundamentalist agitation throughout Turkey. Christian Armenians were once again branded as infidels’ non believers in Islam, young

Islamic extremists sometimes leading violence, staged anti Armenian demostrations during one such outbreak in 1909 two hundred villeges were plundered and over 30,000 persons massacred in the Cilicia district on the Mediterranean cost. There were also big cultural differences between Armenian and Turks. Armenians had always been one of the best – educated communities, by coutrast, the mayority of Turks were illiterate peasant and small shoekeepers when World War 1 broke out in 1914, leaders of the Young Turk regime sided with the centural powers Germany, Austria and Hungary. That’s was the perfect opportunity to solve the “Armenian questions” once and for all. As a prelude to the coming actions, Turks disarmed the entire Armenian population under the pretext that the people were naturally sympatetic toward Christian Russian. At the time forty thousand Armenian men were serving in the Turkish Army in that Fall and winter of 1914,all their were put into slave labor battalions, building roads or were used as human pack animals. Those who survived would soon be shot outright. For the time has come to move againsts the Armenians. The decision to annihilate the entire population came directly from the ruling triumvirate of ultra – nationalist “young Turks” the actual extermination orders were transmitted in coded telegrams to all provincial governors throughout Turkey. Armed round ups began on the evening of April 24,1915as 300 Armenian political leaders, educators, writers, dergy and dignataries were taken from their homes, briefly jailed and tortured, then hanged or shot. What happened in Armenia does respresent genocide. Because the young Turk, with the help of Kurdish bandis they killed the Armenian, still their belongings, their houses were given to the Turkish, they were sexual abuse, the deported Armenian childeren and given them Turkish names, they Kidnapped for life attractive young females. The authorities in Trebizond, on the Black Sea Coast, did vary this routine they loaded Armenian on barges and sank them out the sea. The death marches during the Armenian genocide, involving over a millionArmenians, covered hundreds of miles and lasted months. An estimated 75 percent of the Armenian on these marches perished, especially childeren and the elderly. Thosewho survived ordeal were herded into the desert without drop of water. Being thrown off cliffs, burned alive or drowned in rivers. During the Armenian Genocide, the Christian missionaries were often threatened with death and were unable to help the people. All this atrocity against the Armenian is proved of genocide. The first genocide of the 20th century finally, was recognized by the International Communities. The permanent People’s Tribunal recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 16, 1984. The European Parliament voted to recognize the Armenian Genocide on June 18, 1987 President Bush issued a news relese in 1990 calling on all Americans to join with Armenians on April 24 in commemorating “the more than million Armenian people who were victims.” President Clinton issued a news relese on April 24, 1994, to commemorate the “tragedy.” That befell the Armenians in 1915. The Russian Duma voted on April 20, 1994 to recognize the Armenian Genocide and Israel officialy condemned the Armenian Genocide on April 27, 1994.