Pfannes 1

Zachary Pfannes
POLI383
Dr. C
25 April 2019

The Armenian Genocide

While the word “holocaust” is most closely related to the atrocities carried out by Adolf

Hitler and his Nazi party during World War II, this was not the only nor the first instance of

genocide in human history. During World War I, the Turkish majority in the Ottoman Empire

carried out what is seen as the first genocide in the century, with the targets being the Armenian

minority under their control. To assert this case as genocide, one must answer the following: who

is attempting the elimination; who are they trying to eliminate; why is the attempt to eliminate

occurring; and is there an organized attempt to eliminate a group. Taking into account the events

of the time period, it is clear that the actions carried out by the Turkish Ottomans against the

Armenians meets this criteria. From 1915-1918, the Turks within the Ottoman Empire carried

out an organized attempt to kill the Armenians who they saw as an obstacle to their success.

To begin one must answer the question of who is attempting the genocide, which is found

to be the Turkish majority in the Ottoman Empire. The empire was first founded in 1299 by

Osman I and slowly began expanding their territory over the years. The event which solidified

the empire as a global power was the 1453 overthrow of the Byzantine Empire highlighted by the

capture of Constantinople and subsequent renaming of the city to Istanbul. With control of the

city, the Ottomans took control of a major hub of trade and culture which further increased their

global presence (“Ottoman Empire”). Despite enjoying long-term prominence the empire saw

itself deteriorating in the early years of the 20th Century. Before World War I the country saw a
 Pfannes 2

group called the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), often called the Young Turks,

conspiring to take power and eventually succeeding in their efforts by gaining full control of the

government in 1913 (Shaw and Yapp). Overall, the Ottoman Empire operated under the beliefs

of Islam, an important factor to consider later on when discussing the “why” question in relation

to this genocide.

Next one must determine who is being targeted in the genocide, which is clearly the

Armenian population living within the Ottoman Empire. Prior to the genocide, the Armenians

had a population around 2.5 million people within the Ottoman Empire (Shaw and Yapp). This

population was generally concentrated in the part of the empire now known as Armenia and the

collective identity of the people centered around Christianity (“Armenian People: Characteristics

of the Armenian Ethnicity.”). Geographically speaking, this group of people lived on a mountain

plateau which they occupied along with Muslim Kurds. Until the 15th-16th Century, the

Armenians lived and ruled among themselves. Even after the takeover by the Ottoman Empire

they still retained their language and religion within the region (Suny). While this coexistence

lasted relatively peacefully for decades, everything changed at the turn of the 20th Century with

the new regime taking over.

Answering the question of why the genocide occurred is clearly found by examining the

ideologies of the Ottoman Empire at the time. Within the empire the Armenians were both an

ethnic minority and a religious one, as the empire as a whole predominately practiced Islam.

Although this is a source of pride for the community it also made them an easy scapegoat for the

Turkish majority after suffering terrible defeats during World War I. In January 1915 the

Ottoman Empire suffered their worst defeat in history in the battle of Sarikamis. Consequently,

all blame was pushed onto the Armenian minority who were immediately stripped of their
 Pfannes 3

positions within the army and treated as the enemy within (Suny). In addition to this

scapegoating, the Turks saw the Armenian regional population as a roadblock in their quest for

continuous control over their empire. The top people within the government wished for the Turks

to have “territorial continuity” leading to their decision to “…‘cleanse’ (the region) of Russians

and Armenians…” (Akcam 114). Viewing the overarching events as genocide makes these

points key aspects of answering the why question. First, we see the Armenians as an ethnic and

religious minority in the region that-similar to what Hitler did later on with Jews-the Turks used

this minority as a rallying point for its constituents and created a common enemy within to shift

the blame for all of the problems and setbacks experienced. Next, building on this point is the

idea that the Turks never have to show a sign of weakness until their ultimate downfall. Instead

they can say the failure is the fault of the Armenians and shift any outrage the community may

have over a defeat towards this minority group. Finally, the Turkish majority genuinely believe

the Armenian presence in present day eastern Turkey hindered the potential of the empire as a

whole. In their eyes the Turks saw the Armenians as a divide between the two Turkish

populations, a divide which they saw necessary to eliminate. Overall, the genocide took place

because the Turkish majority in the Ottoman Empire saw the Armenians as a threat which

needed to be eliminated in order for the empire to prosper.

Even with all the aspects listed above, a situation cannot truly be classified as a genocide

until a clear attempt to eliminate is identified. Within this case it is clear that multiple organized

efforts were undertook by the Turkish people in the Ottoman Empire in order to eliminate the

group they saw as an enemy: the Armenians. The first example took place on 24 April 1915,

when “some 235 leading members of the Armenian community in Istanbul were arrested on the

pretext of an Armenian revolt in Van. This was followed by the of 600 more people” (Akcam
 Pfannes 4

130). By starting the events with the removal of the top leaders within the Armenian community

from the public the Turks sent a clear message that this was planned out ahead of time. Because

of this the argument that this was only a random crime against humanity is essentially mute, as a

clear organized attempt to eliminate is taking place. In addition to this round up of top leaders,

mass deportations of Armenians happened followed by those Armenians being murdered

(Akcam 130). Again this shows a cohesive plan formulated and carried out against this ethnic

and religious minority in response to what the Turks saw as the “Armenian Problem”. These

actions paired with other mass killings in villages and instances of starvation deaths in

concentration camps resulted in over 90% of the Armenian population living in the Ottoman

Empire being wiped out by the end of World War I (Suny). Due to this myriad of actions and the

end result it is clear the Turks participated in an organized attempt to eliminate the Armenian

population within the Ottoman Empire.

Although a strong case can be made for all the criteria making this a genocide being met,

the mass killing of the Armenians still does not have international recognition akin to other

genocides occurring after it. As of April 2019 only 27 countries officially recognize the

genocide, ranging from the likes of the Czech Republic to Canada and France (“Countries That

Recognize the Armenian Genocide.”). Although some recognize the United States as the 28th

country to recognize the genocide, there is a unique situation occurring within America regarding

this issue. As of now 49 of 50 states-with Mississippi being the lone exception-officially

recognize the events as a genocide, while it is mentioned in three resolutions on the federal level

(“Armenian Genocide Recognition in the United States.”). Despite this, the United States as a

country has not officially denounced the events as genocide. While some educated opinions

could play a role in this, it is clear the main driving force lies in the United States current
 Pfannes 5

strategic relationship with the current nation of Turkey who also denies the genocide happening,

as would be expected from the group which carried out the atrocities (Migdol). The United States

does not flat out deny the events happened; instead they opt to characterize the situation as

anything short of genocide. This way the United States avoids upsetting the balance of power

they have with Turkey and can maintain the relationship the two countries have slowly

developed.

Starting 104 years ago the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish majority within it carried out

the mass killings of Armenians who were ethnic and religious minorities in the region.

Classifying the events involved as genocide required finding the answers to four major

questions: the Turkish majority were the ones carrying out the genocide; the Armenian minority

were the group which the genocide was carried out against; the capture of leading Armenians

and mass killings showcase the organized attempt to eliminate on behalf of the Turks; and the

scapegoating and viewing of Armenians as an obstacle to a cohesive empire answers the why the

genocide took place at all. The descendants of those Armenians who survived the genocide have

gone over a century with relatively little recognition of what was done to their community.

Regardless of political motivations and strategic thinking, it is long past time for the events to be

recognized as genocide on a more international level. All the criteria for genocide is met and the

denial of this label-both openly and in private-prevents the community from having the chance to

properly move on and begin to heal.

 Pfannes 6

Works Cited

Akçam Taner. A Shameful Act: the Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish

Responsibility. Constable, 2007.

“Armenian Genocide Recognition in the United States.” Armenian National Committee of

America, anca.org/armenian-genocide/recognition/united-states/.

“Armenian People: Characteristics of the Armenian Ethnicity.” Wild Armenia, 18 Dec. 2018,

wildarmenia.com/armenian-people/.

“Countries That Recognize the Armenian Genocide.” Armenian National Institute,

www.armenian-genocide.org/recognition_countries.html.

Migdol, Robin. “Why the United States Doesn't Recognize the Armenian Genocide.” USC

Shoah Foundation, 24 Apr. 2018, sfi.usc.edu/news/2018/04/21901-why-united-states-

doesn%E2%80%99t-recognize-armenian-genocide.

“Ottoman Empire.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 3 Nov. 2017,

www.history.com/topics/middle-east/ottoman-empire.

Shaw, Stanford Jay, and Malcolm Edward Yapp. “Ottoman Empire.” Encyclopædia Britannica,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 27 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/place/Ottoman-

Empire.

Suny, Ronald Grigor. “Armenian Genocide.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 17 Apr. 2019, www.britannica.com/event/Armenian-Genocide#ref329551.