What is Genocide?

Genocides of 20th Century

The Armenian Genocide

International Affirmations

The plan to destroy Armenians in Ottoman Empire was formed during collapse of Ottoman government and realized in form of genocide in April 1915. Repeated failures of ottomans in political and military fields caused them to lose large parts of their colonies in Asia and Europe, which influenced internal politics against ethnic minorities, including Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.

Turks were less than 20% of the whole population in large realm of Ottoman Empire. Thus there always was an idea that Turks were immigrants and invaders. They didn’t find any way for ruling and neutralizing the problem and sought the solution in mass killing and destroying the ethnic minorities. The historical expansions of Ottomans and their weakness in different fields caused to lose possessions and independence of some depended nations.

Ethnic groups population in some states in eastern Anatolia in 1912,
(number of populations are in thousand).

No.	Ethnic groups	Erzrum (Carin)	Van	Bitlis	Kharbert	Diyarbekir	Sivas	Total	% of Pop.
1	Armenian	215	185	180	168	105	165	1,018	38.9
2	Turk	240	47	40	102	45	192	666	25.4
3	Kurd	75	72	77	95	55	50	424	16.3
4	Kizilbash	25	-	8	80	27	-	140	5.3
5	Nestorian, Jacobean and Khald	-	18	15	5	60	25	123	4.7
6	Zaza, Tmbli, Charikle	30	-	47	-	-	-	77	2.9
7	Kirghiz	7	-	10	-	-	45	62	2.3
8	Greek and other Christian	12	-	-	-	-	30	42	1.6
9	Yezdi	3	25	5	-	4	-	37	1.4
10	Persian	13	-	-	-	-	-	13	0.5
11	Laz	10	-	-	-	-	-	10	0.4
12	Gipsy	-	3	-	-	-	-	3	0.1
	Total	630	350	382	450	296	507	2,615	100

Reference: Nicholas Adontz, The Armenian Question, Copyright 1996, Hayagitak publishing.

These encouraged Ottoman rulers to finish the main trouble i.e. “Armenian Question” more than before. Thus the plan of annihilation of Armenians was set their instructions. Beginning of World War I and the entrance of Ottoman Empire into the War, prepared the arrangements of massacre. The thing which distinct genocide of 1915 from previous massacres of Armenians, was first pre-determined and exact program and secondly it carried out in extremely large numbers. The war was suitable opportunity to end the Armenian Question for ever in spring of 1915. Then under fake excuse of security and safeguarding of Armenians, hundred thousands of men, women and children of Armenians gathered in planned locations. Afterwards deportations of these unprotected groups to desert started quickly and cruelly. Deportation basically was not relates to the war and just was performed, in order to exterminate the whole Armenian race. The plan of Armenian Genocide achieved some of its goals by killing of more than 1,500,000 Armenians and exiling of around 1,000,000 of them.

But the genocide planners was unable to cover their cruelly aims. A little while later reports of eyewitnesses, such as delegations and citizens of other countries in the Empire, confirmed and scattered the news of the massacres. The unknown parts of this disaster became obvious when these reports and witnesses of escaped people were published.

After end of the war and collapse the Empire, the number of related documents, which were recognized and discussed, was raised. Today based on these documents and evidences, it is impossible to deny and ignore the reality of “The Armenian Genocide” of Eastern Anatolia in the first of 20th century.

The Armenian Genocide was the first mass killing in modern world history. If this human disaster were recognized on time and condemned and its responsible were sit in front of judgment, perhaps we didn’t see the same disasters in places such as Africa, Balkans and Afghanistan in last years.

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Updated on February 2006