The genocide in Armenia was one of the first of the twentieth century, but was quickly forgotten by the world. Perhaps the saddest thing is that the genocide is often not recognized to this day. Not by the Turks who committed the genocide, but also not by many other countries, often for political reasons. An extra step for the victims and their relatives.
What came before
Armenians have been surrounded by people of other faiths for centuries. In the fourth century Armenia had a Christian king and from then on Christianity has been the state religion. The small country was soon surrounded by Muslims, among whom Iran in particular had a great cultural influence on the country, but despite persecution and discrimination when the country was once again ruled by people of other faiths, the Armenians stubbornly held on to their religion. At the end of the nineteenth century, eastern Armenia was in the hands of the Russians and the west was in the hands of the Turks (or Ottomans, as they were then called). Although the Armenians were in a disadvantaged position, they lived relatively harmoniously with their Turkish rulers. But Armenian nationalism grew and Armenians began to demand political reforms. This led to even harsher repression, both by the Russians and the Ottomans. Between 1894 and 1896, mass murders of Armenians took place in Turkish Armenia, the so-called Hamidian Massacres, named after Sultan Abdul Hamid ll, who ordered them. In the Russian part, Armenian schools, libraries and newspapers were closed, the property of the Armenian Church was confiscated. Nationalism also grew among Turks, the once powerful Ottoman Empire began to crumble and became the ‘ sick, old man of Europe ‘.
The Genocide
In 1909, the Ottoman sultan was overthrown by a group calling themselves the ‘Young Turks’. They dreamed of a modern society based on Western principles. Rule fell to three extremist figures: Talat, Enver and Jemal, who initiated the genocide plan as a way to realize their pan-Turkish dream. During the outbreak of the First World War, these Young Turks supported Germany, bringing the country back into conflict with its neighbor Russia. The Turks suspected the Armenians of conspiring with the Russians, Christians like themselves. Many Young Turks felt that now was the time to resolve the ‘Armenian Question’. In 1915 it was decided that all Armenians (about 1,750,000) had to leave Turkey. The First World War was raging, so the world was focused on other matters. The Armenians would be sent into the deserts of Syria and Mesopotamia. Entire villages were ruthlessly driven from their homes, people were slaughtered or simply sent on death marches towards a desert unknown to them. The strange thing was that the Armenians allowed themselves to be slaughtered without any will, they hardly resisted the events. First all men were called to arms. They were killed almost immediately or had to work themselves to death. Only women, children and the elderly were left behind in the villages. When they were asked to settle elsewhere and take only what they could carry, they complied with almost no comment. Between 1915 and 1926 (until 1923), the Turkish part of Armenia was cleared of Armenians, those who survived the massacres found refuge in the Middle East (mostly Syria), Russia and the United States. The number of Armenians in Turkey was about two million, half of whom were killed (some sources even speak of one and a half million dead). The remainder were expelled from their homes and land, in fact Turkey was cleared of Armenians in 1923.
The genocide was prepared down to the last detail, using the most modern means of that time. All police stations received the message to begin the operation on the same day, April 20, 1915 . The executors kept in touch via telegrams. Newly constructed railways were also used, the Istanbul-Baghdad railway had now reached the Syrian desert and the Turkish government took advantage of this. Thousands of Armenians were put on trains and taken to the end of the railway, where they were left to fend for themselves without food or water. There were some concentration camps, where people died of hunger and thirst. Turks who offered protection to the Armenians were themselves murdered. Someone who managed to save many Armenians was the American ambassador Henry Morgenthau, he ensured that the genocide became known in the United States and an aid committee was set up, Near East Relief, which managed to save tens of thousands. They also helped survivors after the war.
The first World War
The fact that everything took place during the First World War suited the Turks well. Even after the war, they were keen to keep the Armenian territory, although attempts were made to return it to the Armenians. British, Russian, Germans, Austrians and Americans spoke out strongly against the genocide. Ultimately, Armenian territory was assigned to the Soviet Union. In the 1920s it became clear that a genocide had indeed taken place, but the Turks denied everything and little fuss was made about it. The Ottoman Empire had just been dismantled after fighting on the losing side of World War I, and Turkey as we know it today did not emerge until 1923, when the genocide was already over. The three masterminds of the plan, Enver, Jemal and Talat, were convicted in absentia and later executed by Armenians.
Turkish Denial
To this day, Armenians demand that Turkey acknowledge the genocide and apologize. But Turkey denies everything, stating that 300,000 Armenians, in addition to many Turks, were killed during the chaos of the war. Both groups were guilty of massacres. Both sides have extensive documentation to support their position, and each side accuses the other of forgery. Today, there are still about 70,000 Armenians living in Turkey who are staying out of the discussion. Armenians all over the world commemorate the genocide on April 24. It was on that day in 1915 that 300 Armenian intellectuals and leaders were rounded up and murdered in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), and 5,000 of the city’s poorest Armenians were massacred.