were killed during the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. That is more than half the number of people that died in World War I. The book Maus by Art Spigelman tells the story of a man who was a victim of and lived through the Holocaust. The Holocaust and Amenian Genocide are indistinguishable because of not only the amount of people that died but also for three more main reasons. These reasons are the gruesome leaders of both genocides, the merciless dehumanization that was forced upon the Armenians, Jews, and Lebanese, and the unreasonable murder tactics. ! First of all, there were many people that were part of the extermination of
Armenians and Lebanese during the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Like the Holocaust, one main leader had control over everything. This leaderʼs name was Enver Pasha, Minister of War and assumed field commander for the Turkish Army. Pasha believed that “the world should be cleaned up of Armenian and Lebanese people” (Tongu). He also believed that “if they canʼt be cleaned up by sword, then they should be starved to death and then burned” (Tongu). Similar to Enver Pasha, the main leader during the Holocaust was Adolf Hitler, the ruler and chancellor of Germany since beginning in 1933. Everyone respected Hitler so much that most of the people living in Germany at the time had no idea that the mass extermination of Jews was even
Kamberling 2 happening. This may have been because Hitler was very good with denial and tricking people into thinking something is very good, when in reality, it is bad. Hitler believed that Jews were below the Germans just as Enver Pasha believed the Armenians and Lebanese were below the Turks. He and the Germans refered to the Jewish people as “underclassed pests that should be the slaves or die in the gas” (UHRC). These main leaders were the reason so many lives were lost. ! Next, the
Cited: "Adolf Hitler Quotes." Adolf Hitler Quotes (Author of Mein Kampf). Good Reads Inc., 4 ! ! Apr. 2001. Web. 16 May 2012. . Hui, Tongu. "QUOTES- Various Turkish Leaders." QUOTES- Various Turkish Leaders. VBulletin Solutions, Inc., 24 Mar. 2005. Web. 10 May 2012. . Institute, Armenian National. "Armenian Genocide." Armenian Genocide. Armenian ! ! National Institute. Web. 01 May 2012. . Rights Council, The United Human. "Armenian Genocide." The United Human Rights ! Council. VIBSCO. Web. 01 May 2012. . Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor 's Tale. New York: Pantheon, 1986. Print.