Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide is not a very common topic of study for students of History in India. We learn about the Holocaust, the Partition riots and the Sikh riots. The Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 occupies as important a place in the annals of history as the Holocaust of World War II. I shall try to summarise it here in a few words. The images have been carefully chosen as most of the images of the genocide are too gross. If anyone is interested in seeing them they are available on the net. If you need further information do mail me.

The Armenians were a part of the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. They were Christians and an ethnic minority. They inhabited the border region between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. The Armenians had an inferior social position but a dominant economic position.

In 1913, the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) took over the control of the Empire. This group, called the Ittihadis, were led by the triumvirate - Enver, Minister of War; Talaat, Minister of Interior; and Jemal, Minister of Navy. This new group saw the Armenians standing in the way of the creation of a Pan-Turkish Empire. They also wanted to destroy the Armenians hold over the economy. The presence of the Armenians on the borders with Russia was also creating suspicion.

The start of World War I gave the Ittihadis the perfect cover to carry out their goal of eliminating the Armenians. All able bodied Armenians were enlisted into the army or sent to labour camps. Here they were separated and murdered. After this, the government embarked on a huge project of deportation. With all able bodied men eliminated, the Armenians had little choice but to accept deportations to far away places. On the way they were ambushed by groups formed by outlaws, specially recruited by the government for the purpose. The state took over all the movable and immovable property of the Armenians. All those who escaped the ambush were made to march to different far off camps. They were refused food and water. The massacre and death that ensued from all these was enormous and painful.

Charges were brought against the Ittihadis after the end of World War I but due to political reasons many remained at large. The Armenians formed a special group that hunted down the perpetrators of the genocide. Many scholars refer to the Armenian Genocide as the first Holocaust. Even today, the Turkish government refuse to apologize for the genocide, and the event has more or less been avoided.