The Armenian Genocide, Essay Example

Sometimes in 1915, Turkish government leaders moved swiftly towards planning a massacre meant to alleviate all the Armenians residing the Ottoman Empire. Although there still lacks a valid report, it is estimated that over two million Armenians were in the empire, when the massacre took place. Towards the end of 1920 when deportations of the massacre came to an end, close to 1.5 million Turkey’s Armenians had lost their lives and hundreds of them had been whisked away from the country. According to historians, this was genocide as it attempted to wipe out members of same origin. Even so, the government of Turkey has completely refused to acknowledge that such an incidence occurred, despite the pressure for admittance from human rights activists and Armenians. In the present Turkey, it is deemed illegal whenever one attempts to talk about this Armenian issue.

Several underlying issues, following the adoption of the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire, ignited this genocide. The rulers in ottoman were purely Muslims and had no problems allowing other minority religions such as Christianity to thrive. The Armenians were mostly viewed as infidels and were meted injustices and inequality, such as paying high taxes, and being allowed limited access to legal and political rights. Irrespective of these injustices, the Armenians became very successful in the empire and they appeared wealthier and educated, while compared to their Turkish counterparts. Soon, suspicion erupted and the Turkish Sultan Abdul declared that it was time to tame the Armenians. Therefore, in April 1915, the government of Turkey arrested hundreds of intellectuals from Armenia, and this is where genocide began. Following this, Armenians were frog marched from their households, and taken to places of death as they were subjected to sufferings through the desert of Mesopotamia without water and food. In some cases, they were stripped off their clothes, and forced to trek in the hot sun until they collapsed to death, and anyone who dared to stop was shot dead.

In view of Israel Chaney’s model of genocide the Ottoman Empire reached such a state for the fear of extinction, and this must be the most likely thing that Turkish Sultan Abdul and other Oman rulers feared. The insecurity that a minor group such as the Armenians that were deemed stupid would take over their kingdom made them to act in the most inhuman way. The Turkish people living in the Ottoman Empire were the owners of the land, and were the legitimate owners of the land. By any means, they were the majority, and they could not just sit and watch as invaders and outsiders prosper on their own soil, as they continue to decline. The religion conflict also fuelled the genocide because Armenians were Christians, while the native Turkish people were Muslims. As seen in this argument, Israel Chaney’s model of genocide the Ottoman Empire reached becomes visible and real. As seen, even when sultan is overthrown from the government, the young Turks, thought to be reformers have only one agenda, to make the empire the Turkish affair. Clearly, this confirms that although the owners of the land, Turkey people felt their future was threatened and so the need to put up the fight.

In conclusion, the Armenian genocide continues to have impacts on the present day Turkey, and it is illegal to talk about it.