The "Armenia Genocide" was one of the worst massacres of the 20th century, taking place within the Ottoman Turkey Empire between 1915 and 1917, what exactly happened to kill 1.5 million people?
In that dark history, the Armenia as a minority were brutally persecuted, women were raped, children were injected with the virus, and many people starved to death in the barren mountains, which was the destruction of a nation......
A miserable nation that has been invaded for thousands of years
Armenia is located in the ancient land of the South Caucasus, bordered by the Caucasus Mountains to the north, the Anatolian Plateau to the south, the sea to the east, and the Black Sea to the west.
It was not only a necessary route for trade between East and West, but also a meeting point for ancient civilizations, and the Armenia people, with their industrious wisdom and rich cultural traditions, created a brilliant civilization in this land.
Long ago, the Armenia established a powerful empire in the South Caucasus, which at one point extended to what is today eastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, southern Georgia, and western Azerbaijan.
Politically, economically and culturally, it has become one of the leading forces in the region, and ancient buildings still stand on the land today, bearing witness to the glorious past of this nation.
As the saying goes, "the puffer is innocent and guilty", despite its geographical location, Ameni was destined for an ill-fated situation, becoming the target of frequent foreign invasions, constantly resisting invasions from all directions.
In the 8th century, Armenia began to suffer from the invasion of the Arab Empire, and the Arabs brought Islam in an attempt to spread their religion there.
The Armenia adhered to their own Christianity and engaged in a long-term confrontation with the Arabs religiously and culturally, as a result of which great damage was caused to the social structure and economic life.
In the following centuries, Armenia continued to face aggression from different directions, with large-scale military campaigns against the Byzantine, Seljuk and Mongolia empires.
In the 16th century, the rise of the Ottoman Turkey Empire and the gradual inclusion of the South Caucasus under its rule, as a Christian minority under Muslim rule, the Armenia were extremely disadvantaged within the Ottoman Empire.
They are regarded as "second-class citizens" and are subject to discrimination and oppression at every turn in political, economic and social life.
The Ottoman government restricted land ownership of Armenia, deprived them of economic resources, imposed high taxes, confiscated land and plundered family property, seriously threatening their livelihoods.
In the face of oppression, some Armenia still defended their faith and secretly organized church activities underground.
Some Armenia people have chosen to flee their homes in search of new shelters, while others Armenia have migrated to Russia in the north in search of refuge and better living conditions.
The Russia government, out of strategic considerations against the Ottoman Empire, admitted these fleeing Armenia and granted them some autonomy.
Armenia established their own community on the territory of Russia, continued to maintain their culture and traditions, gradually became merchants, artisans and farmers, and made an important contribution to the local economic development.
Through hard work and wisdom, they are constantly improving their living conditions and gradually integrating into the local society.
Those who remained in the Ottoman Empire could only continue to endure oppression, hoping to enter mainstream Turkey society through education and military service, but these efforts often backfired.
The conflict between the Armenians and the Ottoman Turks was not only political and economic, but also a deeper antagonism of religious beliefs, which could not be reconciled in any era.
Discrimination at the racial level
As mentioned above, the dominant faith in the Ottoman Empire was Islam, while the Armenia were firmly Christian. This religious difference makes it difficult for Armenia to integrate into Turkey society and is the target of discrimination and persecution.
Religious antagonism further exacerbated social divisions, and even under Ottoman propaganda, Armenia was portrayed as disloyal and untrustworthy infidels, which led to a growing hatred and hostility towards Armenia among the Turk population.
The situation of Armenia has become difficult, but despite the difficulties they face, they have amassed great wealth through their own efforts, achieved remarkable achievements in commerce, crafts and agriculture, and become a wealthy class of society.
Why is it difficult to say that the people at the bottom are turning around, because when a poor person suddenly becomes rich, this change will cause jealousy and hatred, which is vividly reflected in the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey consider Armenia to be a low-class people, a second-class lowly people, unworthy of so much wealth, and even believe that Armenia plunders the wealth that should belong to them, and the seeds of hatred gradually take root.
Armenia had been actively involved in the political reform of the Ottoman Empire and had contacts with reformers in Turkey to propose a series of reforms in the hope of achieving political equality and social justice through peaceful means.
However, this political participation has provoked strong opposition from conservative forces in Turkey, who believe that Armenia political activities not only threaten Turkey's sovereignty and security, but also shake traditional social structures.
Conservatives have used the media and propaganda machine to incite popular hatred of Armenia, accusing them of colluding with external hostile forces in an attempt to overthrow the Turkey government, further exacerbating tensions between the two sides.
When World War I broke out in 1914, the Ottoman Empire of Turkey joined the Central Powers and fought fiercely against the Entente.
This global war not only had a huge impact on countries, but also became the tipping point for the Armenia massacre.
As the Ottoman Empire's resources were depleted and economic and military pressures were mounting during World War I, the government needed to find a way to deflect domestic tensions and anxieties, in short, to excuse its own defeat.
They began to focus on the Armenia in their country as a potential threat, and the Armenians were portrayed as complices of traitors and enemies, stirring up hatred throughout the country.
Armenia massacre
In the early days of the war, the Turkey government took a series of measures to gradually crowd out and crack down on Armenians, targeting ethnic Armenian soldiers in the army and carrying out mass arrests and executions.
Many Armenia soldiers were stripped of their weapons, sent to hard labor, or even executed.
At the same time, the Government of Turkey has begun to spread rumors and hate propaganda against Armenia in all sectors of society, claiming that Armenians are colluding with hostile forces in an attempt to launch a rebellion in the country.
These rumors spread rapidly among the population, and many Turks began to believe that Armenia were a major threat to national security and must be eliminated.
With the acquiescence and instigation of the Government, violence against Armenia escalated rapidly, with Turks storming into Armenia neighbourhoods to loot and kill, and many Armenia families suddenly and tragically destroyed, houses burned and property looted.
Women and children are the main victims of violence, dragged out into the streets, subjected to brutal sexual assault and abuse.
Armenia men trying to protect their families were mercilessly killed, their bodies discarded haphazardly, and Armenia plunged into bloodshed and despair.
You think this is the end of the matter, but in fact it is just the beginning, and the Turkey government quickly turned its attention to the social elite of Armenia.
On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman government launched a large-scale arrest campaign that resulted in the arrest of more than 600 political, intellectual, and religious leaders in Armenia.
Accused of being "traitors" and "accomplices of the enemy", they were swiftly executed without any trial.
This operation led to the complete destruction of the backbone of Armenia society, and the vacancy in the leadership plunged the entire nation into helplessness and chaos.
Without organization and leadership, the Armenians could not effectively resist the atrocities that followed, and the Armenia massacre entered a new phase.
In order to completely exterminate the Armenians, the Ottoman government developed a series of even more brutal policies, granting the government and the army unlimited power to expel and execute Armenia deemed "threats" at will through the Tersir Law.
Tens of thousands of Armenia were forcibly evicted from their homes and made long treks to remote desert areas, a migration that was more of a death march because of the lack of adequate food and water.
Many collapsed from hunger, dehydration and fatigue along the way, and the Turk soldiers in charge of escorting them not only did not help, but brutally abused and killed the survivors.
The Turkey government has also set up concentration camps where arrested Armenia are being held, with extremely poor conditions and a severe lack of food and medical resources.
Armenia people were forced to perform strenuous manual labor or become subjects of human experimentation, and as the Holocaust unfolded, the tragic plight of Armenia became known to the outside world.
The international community strongly condemned Turkey's atrocities and called for an immediate end to the massacres, but due to the continuation of the war and the consideration of the interests of each country itself, actual actions have not been implemented.
At the end of World War I in 1918, the Ottoman Empire was defeated, but the Armenia were not ordinary, and many Turkey war criminals escaped due punishment and even continued to live a prosperous life after the war.
Overall, the Armenia massacre, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 1.5 million people and the almost extermination of the Armenia nation, is still denied by the Turks.
What do you think differently about this?
Reference: A Hundred Years of Unsolved Cases, the Horrific "Armenia Massacre" - CNKI (cnki.net)
Genocide: Armenia Massacre - CNKI (cnki.net)