THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
THE WORD GENOCIDE CONSISTS OF TWO ROOT WORDS. IN GREEK GENOST MEANS FAMILY AND CIDE IS LATIN FOR KILLING. THE TERM GENOCIDE CAME ABOUT IN 1943 BY RAPHAEL LEMKIN WHO WAS A LAWYER OF JEWISH DESCENT IN POLAND. HE LOST MUCH OF HIS FAMILY IN THE HOLOCAUST. WHEN HE DEVELOPED THE TERM, HE HAD THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN MIND.
ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS OF THE TURKISH DENIERS IS THAT IF THE TERM GENOCIDE WAS NOT COINED UNTIL 1943, HOW COULD THE GENOCIDE HAVE OCCURRED IN 1915?
THERE IS ALSO A BELIEF THAT THERE IS A STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IN WHICH 10 YEARS AFTER THE GENOCIDE, THE PERPETRATORS OF IT ARE FORGIVEN.
THE ARMENIANS ARE AN ANCIENT PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXISTED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. THE OTTOMANS CONQUERED ARMENIA IN THE EARLY 1500’S AND IT STAYED UNDER OTTOMAN CONTROL UNTIL THE END OF WWI AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY.
IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, THE ARMENIANS WERE GOVERNED UNDER THE MILLET SYSTEM. INTERNALLY, THE ARMENIANS WERE GIVEN SOME MEASURE OF FREEDOM TO GOVERN THEMSELVES IN TERMS OF WEDDINGS, BAPTISMS, AND OTHER RELIGIOUS RITES.
THERE WAS HOWEVER, DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ARMENIANS AND OTHER NON-MUSLIMS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE. FOR INSTANCE, AREMNIANS COULD NOT OWN HOUSES, BEAR ARMS, OR PROSECUTE A MUSLIM.
FROM THE 18TH CENTURY ALL THE WAY TO THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY AND WWI, THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE BEGAN TO DECLINE DUE TO RAMPANT INTERNAL CORRUPTION AND THREATS FROM EUROPEAN SUPER POWERS.
ALSO IN THE 19TH CENTURY, THERE WAS AN ARMENIAN CULTURAL AWAKENING. MANY ADVANCES IN LITERATURE AND THE ARTS LED TO INTILLECTUAL ENLIGHTENMENT. THIS INTILLECTUAL ENLIGHTENMENT LED TO A POLITICAL AWAKENING BECAUSE ARMENIANS WERE READING ABOUT THEIR PAST GLORIES.
ARMENIAN BEGAN TO SPEAK OUT POLITICALLY AND FORMED POLITICAL PARTIES. RATHER THAN INTRODUCE REFORM, THE OTTOMAN SULTAN (ABDUL HAMID II) RESPONDED BY MASSACRING THE ARMENIANS FROM 1894 TO 1896. HE MASSACRED BETWEEN 200 AND 300 THOUSAND ARMENIANS.
IN 1908, THERE WAS A COUP DE’TAT BY A GROUP OF TURKISH OFFICERS CALLED THE YOUNG TURKS. IT DID NOT OCCUR BECAUSE THE TURKISH OFFICERS WANTED TO HELP THE ARMENIANS, BUT BECAUSE THESE OFFICERS WERE TIRED OF THE SULTAN.
THERE WAS A CONSTITUTION DRAFTED IN 1876 AND THEY WANTED THE SULTAN TO REINSTITUTE THAT CONSTITUTION. BECAUSE THE CONSTITUTION MADE EVERYONE EQUAL (MUSLIMS AND INFIDELS ALIKE), THE SULTAN INSTITUTED MASSACRES AGAIN IN 1909.
FROM 1912 TO 1913 THE BALKAN WARS RAGED IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE. THE BALKAN STATES REBELLED AGAINST THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE AND THE TURKS LOST MOST OF THEIR WESTERN TERRITORIES (ESPECIALLY IN EUROPE).
CAUSES OF THE GENOCIDE
1. THE TURKS FEARED THEY WOULD LOSE THEIR EASTERN PROVINCES AS WELL IF THE ARMENIANS REBELLED.
2. THERE WAS A NEW POLITICAL IDEOLOGY KNOWN AS THE PAN-TURKIC IDEOLOGY FOUNDED BY ZIA GOKALP THAT ADVOCATED THE UNIFICATION OF ALL TURKIC PEOPLES FROM ISTANBUL TO CENTRAL ASIA. THE ARMENIANS STOOD BETWEEN INSTANBUL AND MONGOLIA AND WERE AN OBSTACLE TO THIS GOAL.
3. EVEN AS WWI WAS TAKING PLACE, THE YOUNG TURK GOVERNMENT KNEW THEY WOULD LOOSE AND FIGURED THAT EVEN IF THEY LOST, THEY WOULD HAVE A HOMOGENEOUS SOCIETY IF THEY ELIMINATED THE ARMENIANS. THEY THEREFORE DEPORTED ARMENIANS AND FILLED CENTRAL TURKEY WITH KURDISH PEOPLE.
THE GENOCIDE WAS NOT A RELIGIOUS PHENOMENON. IT HAD TO DO WITH ETHNICITY. IT WAS ETHNIC CLEANSING AT ITS BEST.
THE PROCESS OF GENOCIDE
THE FIRST STEP: IN THE SUMMER OF 1914 AS THE WINDS OF WAR WERE BLOWING, THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT PROCLAIMED A DRAFT INTO THE TURKISH ARMY. ALL ABLE-BODIED MEN WERE DRAFTED – THE ARMENIANS WERE NO EXCEPTION.
THE ARMENIAN MEN WERE USED ESSENTIALLY AS PACK ANIMALS TO CARRY HEAVY LOADS AND TO DIG TRENCHES. WHEN THEY FINISHED DIGING THESE TRENCHES, THEY WERE EXECUTED AND BURRIED IN THE VERY TRENCHES THEY HAD DUG. THIS WAS DONE SO THAT THE MEN WHO WERE CAPABLE OF RESISTING DEPORTANTION WOULD BE ELIMINATED.
THE SECOND STEP: ON APRIL 23RD, 1915, THE ARMENIAN LEADERSHIP IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE WERE ROUNDED UP AND EXECUTED.
THE THIRD STEP: THE WOMEN, CHILDREN, ELDERLY, AND INFIRMED WERE ORDERED TO BE DEPORTED. ONE OF THE EXCUSES FOR THIS THAT BECAUSE THERE WERE ARMENIANS FIGHTING IN THE RUSSIAN ARMY, (WHICH WAS TURKEY’S ENEMY AT THE TIME) THE TURKS WANTED THEM OUT OF TURKEY. THE REMAINING ARMENIANS WERE GIVEN VERY SHORT NOTICES BEFORE THEY WERE MARCHED TO THE SYRIAN DESERT.
THEY WERE EXPOSED TO STARVATION, SUNLIGHT, AND DISEASES. SOME OF THE MARCHERS WOULD BE ABDUCTED, WOMEN WOULD BE RAPED OR KILLED OUTRIGHT. IN SOME INSTANCES, THE MARCHERS WERE BURNED ALIVE IN CHURCHES AND FARMS. WOMEN WERE SOLD IN MARKETS AND SOME MARCHERS WERE DROWNED IN THE BLACK SEA. SOME WERE EVEN EXPERIMENTED UPON BY DOCTORS IN ETHNIC EXPERIMENTATION.
OF THOSE THAT WERE SOLD INTO SLAVERY, SOME WERE FORCED TO BE CIRCUMCISED ACCORDING TO MUSLIM TRADITION AND SOME WERE FORCED TO TAKE ON ARABIC NAMES.
ALSO THE OTTOMAN GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED ORPHANAGES AND DISTRIBUTED THE BEST ARMENIAN CHRILDREN AMONG WEALTHY TURKISH PEOPLE IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE WHERE THEY WERE RAISED TO BE MUSLIM TURKS.
THERE IS A FAMOUS LAWYER IN TURKEY NAMED FETHIYE CHETIN THAT WROTE A BOOK ABOUT HER GRANDMOTHER WHO WAS ONE OF THESE YOUNG WOMEN WHO WERE ABDUCTED BY MUSLIM TURKS.
THERE ARE AMENIANS TODAY WHO LIVE IN TURKEY THAT HAVE INTEGRATED INTO MUSLIM SOCIETY BUT ARE SECRETLY ARMENIAN. THEY ARE CALLED BIZIMKILER (“US”). THEY WOULD NOT TELL THEIR CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR ARMENIAN HERITAGE UNTIL THEY WERE 14 YEARS OLD.
RESCUE OPERATIONS
AT THE END OF THE WAR, THE BRITISH HAD OCCUPIED MANY TURKISH-HELD COUNTRIES LIKE ISTANBUL. THE RED CROSS AND OTHER ALLIED GOVERNMENT AGENCIES PARTICIPATED IN HELPING TO LOOK AFTER THE ARMENIAN ORPHANS WHO WERE WOUNDED OR INJURED.
REUBEN HARIAN TRIED TO RESCUE THE ARMENIANS DYING IN THE SYRIAN DESERT. HE DEDICATED HIMSELF TO THE RESCUE OF ARMENIANS. HE RAISED MONEY FROM AMERICAN AND ARMENIAN ORGANIZATIONS TO PURCHASE THE ARMENIAN SLAVES ONE-BY-ONE FROM THE TURKS AND SHELTERED THEM IN ALEPPO, SYRIA.
THERE WAS ALSO A GROUP OF ARMENIAN BROTHERS THAT RESCUED ARMENIANS FROM MUSLIM CAPTIVITY AND LODGED THEM IN HARAN, SYRIA.
ALSO KAREM JEPPE WAS A DANISH WOMAN WHO WITNESSED THE HORRORS OF THE GONOCIDE. SHE LEFT ARMENIA AND WENT BACK TO DENMARK BUT RETURNED TO ALEPPO, SYRIA TO HELP THE ARMENIAN SURVIVE BY TEACHING THEIR WOMEN EMBROIDERY SKILLS TO HELP SUSTAIN THEMSELVES.
KAREM JEPPE, THE LEAGE OF NATIONS, AND OTHER COMPATRIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS ASSISTED IN HELPING DISPLACED ARMENIANS.
IN 1918, THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS FORMED A COMMISSION – THE COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WANTED TO SEE SHAT HAPPENED TO THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.
THEY HAD 2 HEADQUARTERS – ONE IN ALEPPO, SYRIA AND ONE IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY. THE ISTANBUL BRANCH LASTED FROM 1921 TO 1926.
THEY WERE ABLE TO RESCUE MANY ARMENIANS. THIS BRANCH HELPED ARMENIANS AS WELL AS GREEKS AND OTHER PEOPLES.
KAREM JEPPE HEADED THE ALEPPO BRANCH AND SHE HELPED TO SET UP OUTPOSTS IN THE SYRIAN DESERT TO HELP ARMENIANS AND FORGED ALIANCES WITH ARAB SHEIKS WHO RELEASED THE ARMENIANS THEY HAD IN THEIR CUSTODY AND NEGOTIATED THE RELEASE OF ARMENIANS THROUGHOUT THE ARAB WORLD. THROUGH RANSOM, BRIBERY, OR FORCE (WITH FRENCH GENDARMES) SHE WAS ABLE TO SAVE 1600 ARMENIANS.
BESIDES KAREM JEPPE, THE AGBU (ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION) HAD AN OUTPOST IN ALEPPO, SYRIA WHICH LASTED FROM 1919 TO 1930. THEY ALONNG WITH THE SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CROSS AND BRITISH FRIEDS OF ARMENIAN SOCIETY HAD OUTPOSTS IN SYRIA TO HELP THE ARMENIANS.
SOME OF THESE OUTPOSTS HELPED THE ARMENIANS REHABILITATE PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND SOCIALLY BY RETEACHING THEM ARMENIAN AND RE-CHRISTIANIZING THEM.
THE YOUNG ARMENIANS HAD FORGOTTEN THAT THEY WERE ARMENIAN AND ADOPTED MUSLIM LIFESTYLE AND FORGOT THEIR CHRISTIAN ROOTS AS WELL AS THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE.
THERE WERE ALSO SOME ARMENIANS THAT WERE ABLE TO ESCAPE ACROSS THE BORDER INTO EASTERN ARMENIA WHICH WAS NOW PART OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE.
ONLY A FEW ARMENIANS WERE ABLE TO BE RESCUED. THE MAJORITY OF THE ARMENIANS REMAINED IN MUSLIM HANDS AND WERE TREATED AS SLAVES AND CONCUBINES.
THERE IS ALSO A BEDOUIN TRIBE IN THE SYRIAN DESERT THAT CLAIMS TO BE ARMENIAN. THEY ARE ARMENIAN BUT THEY ARE MUSLIM. THEY HAVE A MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION AND HAVE BY-LAWS. GEORGE APELIAN WANT TO THE SYRIAN DESERT DISCOVERED THIS TRIBE AND WROTE A BOOK ABOUT THEM.
IMPACT OF THE GENOCIDE
THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HOLOCAUST AND THE GENOCIDE IS THAT THE JEWS WERE NOT MASSACRED IN THEIR OWN NATIVE LAND. THE ARMENIANS, HOWEVER, WERE AND THE COUNTRY OF ARMENIA NEARLY VANISHED. ONLY A TINY FRACTION OF WHAT WAS ONCE ARMENIA REMAINED.
CULTURAL IMPACT
CULTURALLY, THE ARMENIAN INTILLECTUALS WERE KILLED WHICH SEVERLY IMPACTED THE ARTS AND CULTURE OF THE ARMENIANS. INSTITUTIONS LIKE THE APOSTALIC CHURCHES & MONATERIES WERE DESTROYED, PILFERED, OR CONVERTED TO MOSKS, BARNS, OR BROTHELS. ALSO THE SCHOOLS OF ARMENIA WERE DESTROYED AS WELL AS LIBRARIES, CLUBS, AND MUSEUMS. IN FACT, ALL ARMENIAN FIXED PROPERTIES WERE DESTORYED.
ALSO ARMENIAN MANUSCRIPTS WERE BURNED, DESTROYED, STOLEN, OR SOLD. ONLY A FEW WERE SAVED AND OVER THE YEARS MANY HAVE BEEN EITHER BOUGHT BACK OR HAVE BEEN REAQUIRED BY OTHER MEANS.
THE CULTURAL GENOCIDE CONTINUES TO THIS DAY BECAUSE THE TURKS CONTINUE TO ALTER WHATEVER VESTIGES OF THE ARMENIANS REMAIN IN TURKEY. FOR INSTANCE A LOT OF PLACE NAMES IN ARMENIA PROPER HAVE BEEN CONVERTED FROM ARMENIAN TO TURKISH.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
ECONOMICALLY, THE ARMENIANS SUFFERED AS WELL. THE ARMENIANS LOST PROPERTY AND LAND AS WELL AS THEIR POSSESSIONS AND VALUABLES. ALSO MANY ARMENIANS PURCHASED LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES AND HAD BANK ACCOUNTS, STOCKS, AND BONDS THAT REMAINED IN TURKISH TERRITORY.
THE IMPACT OF THE GENOCIDE TODAY
THE MODERN TURKISH REPUBLIC IS FOUNDED ON THE BONES OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. THE TURKS CONTINUE TO DENY THE GENOCIDE BECAUSE NOTHING WAS EVER DISCUSSED ABOUT IT IN TURKEY. FOR YEARS SOME TURKS WERE UNAWARE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BECAUSE THE ISSUE WAS NEVER ADDRESSED.
TODAY, IN THE INFORMATION AGE, A LOT MORE INFORMATION EXISTS ABOUT THE GENOCIDE AND THERE IS A SMALL CRACK IN TURKISH SOCIETY WHEREBY SOME TURKS HAVE ACCEPTED THE TRUTH OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. ON THE WHOLE, HOWEVER, MOST TURKS STILL DENY THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.
HRAN DINK, AN EDITOR OF AGOS MAGAZINE IN TURKEY HAD WANTED THE TURKS TO ACCEPT THAT THEY HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE GENOCIDE AND MOVE ON. BECAUSE HE SPEAKING ABOUT IT, HE WAS GUNNED DOWN BY A YOUNG TURKISH RADICAL. TO THIS DAY, IT IS DANGEROUS TO MENTION THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN TURKEY.
THE TURKS DENY THE GENOCIDE BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT ONCE THEY ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT THEY WILL HAVE TO MAKE REPARATIONS.
ALSO THEY CONTINUE TO DENY THE GENOCIDE BECAUSE THEY HAVE SUPPORTERS. THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT AID TURKEY IN THAT THEY PERPETUATE THEIR DENIAL.