Recognition of genocide : the Armenian struggle after the 1st genocide of the 20th century

Abstract

The Armenian Genocide of 1915 was the tremendously vicious historical moment that eliminated a people from its lands and wiped away the majority of the substantial proof of its three thousand years of material and spiritual culture. The catastrophe, which was unprecedented, may be seen as the peak of the constant persecutions, and massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, especially since the 1890s. This dissertation begins with a brief introduction regarding what is genocide, according the UN Convention on Genocide in December 1948, which came into effect in January 1951. A small summary regarding the happenings of 1915 follows, after which a small description of what the "battle" of the Armenians for recognition of this genocide is. Chapter 1 focuses on the reign of Sultan Hamid, and the insurgence of the movement known as the Young Turks. A detailed account of what happened in the region of Adana follows, including , in the last section of this chapter, the road to 1915, mostly the events regarding the Turks, the Balkan Wars, and the involvement of the Ottomans in World War 1. These events are all a prelude to the tragedy that happened in 1915, described in Chapter 2 with a concise explanation of what can be called a government planned genocide portrayed in the events of Van, in spring 1915, and the horrible day of April 24. Chapter 3 points towards the conflicting perspectives of the Turkish and Armenians in regards of these dreadful events, while Chapter 4 examines the perspective of other various actors involved, such as Britain, Germany, and the USA In conclusion, a portrait of what is being done today in order to move towards recognition is given, including a brief summary of the relationship between Turks and Armenians of these days.