Armenian Genocides

The Armenian Genocide is the persecution of the Christians during the time of the Ottoman Empire. There many factors that led up to the massacre, but what actually happened is during the time of the genocides is very tragic.
In the beginning of the twentieth century, they are an open tragic event that traumatized Christians in the modern-day Middle East, and which was an ominous portent of things to come later that century (McGrath). During this time of the Ottoman Empire found itself caught in a Great War, and numerous rebellions against the Ottoman rule that began in the Middle East (McGrath). The Ottoman Empire predominately Islamic region, which is home to many of non-Islamic people, including the Armenian Christians (McGrath).
The start
of the genocide against the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire. The people of Armenian have made their home in the Caucasus region of Eurasia for some 3,000 years ago. These people adopted the Christian faith in 301, and considered themselves as the oldest Christian nation in the region. During the 15th century, Armenia was absorb into the great Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman people were followers of the Muslim faith, including the rulers of the Empire. The Ottoman allowed religious minorities like the Armenians to stay self-governed, but they also subjected Armenians, and who they viewed unbelievers, and were treated unequally and unfairly treated (History.com). The Christians were force to pay higher taxes than Muslims, or the Christians received very little rights civil from the Ottoman government (History.com). Through all the challenges the Armenian community faced, they still continued to thrive under the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian people were well-educated and wealthier than their Turkish neighbors, who in turn lean towards resenting their success. This offense was compound by skepticism that the Christian Armenians would be more faithful to Christian governments than they were in the Ottoman government. These fears grew more acute as the Ottoman Empire was crumbling (History.com). Towards the end of the 19th century, the authoritarian Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who was obsess with loyalty above everything, and enraged by the emerging Armenian movement to win basic civil rights declared that he would solve the “Armenian problem” once and for all. According to history.com Sultan Abdul Hamid II stated “I will soon settle those Armenians,” he told a reporter in 1890. “I will give them a wakeup call, which will make them…surrender their radical intentions (History.com).”
The first series massacre of Armenian Christians in many Turkish cities between the years of 1895-1897 (McGrath). This event happens in response to the Armenians large scaled protest. Turkish military officials, soldiers and ordinary men sacked Armenian villages and towns and massacred their citizens (History.com), in which about 200,000 people are estimated to have been died (McGrath).
The beginning of the genocide was April 24, 1915 (History.com), on this day the Turkish government arrested and executed some hundred Armenian scholars (History.com). This massacre in April 1915 was not directed against non-Islamic religious minorities in general, and not against Christians in particular, where the people who were affected were the Armenians (McGrath). Also, events that happened during the genocide average Armenians were removed from their homes and were led on death marches through the Mesopotamian desert with no food or water (History.com). Often, the marchers were stripped naked and forced to walk in the hot sun until they dropped dead (History.com). When someone would stop to rest they were shot (History.com). By the end of the series of massacres and forced deportations claimed lives of between 1 million and 1.5 million Armenian this event that followed became known as the Armenian Genocide (McGrath).
A month later, the governments of France, Great Britain, & Russia issued a declaration condemning the massacres as “crime against humankind and civilization”, that the Turkish government would held responsible for the event (McGrath).
The Treaty of Sèvres was drafted as a peace treaty with Turkey on August 10, 1920, outlined that the Turkish government was expected to hand over the Allied powers, persons who are responsible for the massacre during the war on Turkish territory (McGrath). However, Treaty of Sèvres was not officially approved and never came into force. When the Treaty of Sèvres failed it was replaced with the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923, that didn’t contain any obligations about the punishment of war crimes. In its place, the “Declaration of Amnesty” was written for all crimes committed by Turkish agents between August 1, 1914, and November 20, 1922 which includes the Armenian Genocide also (McGrath). Ultimately, since there were no actions taken against Turkey, it would lead people like Adolf Hitler to decide that the international community was prepared to tolerate such acts of genocide (McGrath). In conclusion, the Armenian Genocide an event that shocked the Christians in the Middle East. It left an impact on the Christian community especially in the Middle East living under Ottoman Rule. Also, this event was only the one genocide that would leave people like Adolf Hitler to think that the international community does not care about acts like a
genocide.