The Armenian genocide in the Ottoman empire

Abstract

This thesis is about the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Here I shall try to give an answer of what is Genocide, what is the difference between Genocide and other mass murders, when the term Genocide was invented, causes of the Armenian genocide. The thesis consists of introduction, five chapters, conclusion and references. In each chapter I have tried to gave an answer to some aspect of the Armenian Genocide. This thesis will present if and how the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (that came into the force more than 30 years later) could be applied to the Armenian Genocide. In the second chapter will be explained what are the causes of Armenian Genocide. Did it started on April 24, 1915 or before, long ago the Yung Turks came to power? Why Armenian population was targeted? What was/is the response of the great powers, international community. What is the official position of the Republic of Turkey? How is Turkish society responding? What are the consequences of the Genocide? Identity question. It must be said that the consequences of genocide persist today. Survivors and their descendants remain affected by the events. The absence of formal recognition gives genocide its continuity and its present relevance. One of the most tragic consequences is a white genocide that like the Damoclean sword hangs over the head of the Armenian Diaspora. The question of identity still weighs heavily, too. The Armenian church is one of Christianity’s oldest and historically, Armenians are almost exclusively Christian. But to escape persecution in 1915 and afterward, many ethnic Armenians converted to Islam and began living as Turks. For the new genocides not to take place, it must be condemned and punished regardless of when they occurred.