Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide is said to be the first genocide of the twentieth century. Many people refer to it as the Armenian Holocaust. This slaughtering of Armenians was just like the Holocaust that targeted Jews. The Armenian Genocide was masterminded by the Central Committee of the Young Turk Party. They killed the Armenians using several methods. First, those who were in the army were disarmed, placed in labor battalions, and then killed. Second, the Armenian political and intellectual leaders were rounded up on April 24, 1915, and then killed. This date is Armenians all over the world commemorate this great tragedy. And finally, the remaining Armenians were called from their home, thinking that they were going to be relocated, and marched to concentration camps in the middle of the dessert, where they would die from lack of food and water. In the end, western scholars predict that over 500,000 Armenians were killed in this massacre between the years 1914-1918.
Many people wonder don't know what caused the Armenian Genocide. They could Google it and find the answer to that question, but they don't know it off the top of their heads. The Armenian Genocide was caused by a battle, else called World War 1. The Ottoman Empire at that time was allied with the Central Powers. The Minister of War, Enver Pasha, planned to encircle and destroy the Russian Caucasus Army at Sarıkamış to regain territories lost to Russia after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. They went to Sarıkamış, Enver Pasha's troops were almost completely destroyed. When he returned to Istanbul, he blamed the Armenians living in that area helping the Russians.
Different people react differently on issues such as the Armenian Genocide. For example, the Turkey government has always denied what happened, while everyone else in the world says that this historical event occurred. So, who's right? There is a lot of evidence that supports the fact that the Armenian Genocide had taken place. Survivors, historical documents, and remains of bodies prove this event had occurred in history. On the other hand, the world only has the word of the Turkish government that the Armenian Genocide did not happen.
In my opinion, there are a lot of events in history could have prevented the Armenian Genocide from taking place. First of all, if the government and the people got along with each other, this “genocide” would have never taken place. Another reason why this event took place was because the Ottoman Empire was a monarchy, meaning a single person or organization is ruling the people. Having a single person ruling an empire would lead to corruption and abuse of its people. Finally, World War I was a key factor of the Armenian Genocide. If the Ottoman Empire did not get involved in WWI, they would have never battled Russia in the Battle of Sarıkamış. Because of this event, the Armenians were blamed on helping the Russians and later be killed. So each year, on April 24, Armenians around the world commemorate the loss of their people.
