Who was responsible for the Armenian Genocide? When and why did it occur? What were the effects of the Armenian Genocide?
2 Answers
See below
Explanation:
The Turks were responsible, it occurred during WWI between 1915 and 1920, some 1.5 million people died.
More details:http://www.history.com/topics/armenian-genocide
The Ottoman Turkish Empire was responsible for the Armenian Genocide.
Explanation:
The Ottoman Empire was fighting a war against Russia as part of
world war I. The Ottoman Empire was losing the war suffering several military defeats in Eastern Turkey. At the same time the British and French were invading the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East and Turkey itself.
The Ottoman Empire was an Islamic State. Their enemies were the Greek Orthodox Russian Empire, The Protestant British Empire, and the Catholic French, all Christians. The Ottoman Empire feared that the Christian Armenians would support their enemies in the war. The Genocide started out as a removal of the Christians from their traditional homeland near the Russian front to areas, away from the fighting. ( American did something similar in World War II with people of Japanese descent )
The Ottoman Turks had deep seated prejudice against the Armenian Christians. This was based not only on religious difference but also ethnic difference. The Islamic Turks regarded the Armenians as second class citizens in their empire with few legal rights as compared to a Muslim citizen. The Muslims felt that the Armenians should have converted to Islam centuries before World War I. Also the local Muslims resented the wealth of the Armenian population. The Armenians had been a Christian Nation since 120 AD and had traditional control of valuable land.
What started out as a removal of the Christians Armenians for somewhat legitimate natural security issues became an excuse to rob, and kill the Armenians. Local, personal, and religious hostility against the Armenians was expressed in the genocide. Some deaths and lose of property was a natural result of the mass expulsion and moving of so many people during a time of war, shortages of food and winter weather. The degree of suffering was augmented by the view that the Christians were not only a threat but also second class citizens not deserving of respect. Armenian leaders, and the educated elite were targeted as they objected to the unfair treatment.
