Armenian Genocide Causes

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The Armenian Genocide was a horrific occurrence that led to the diminishment of the Armenian race within turkey. This transpired for a variety of reasons, but most notably the hatred of Christianity and the West and Turkish Nationalism. The genocide massacred over 1.5 million Armenians, yet the nation of Turkey refuses to acknowledge their actions, impact and present day need for the acknowledgment of their wrong doing. The massacre of the Armenians was a major event in the 20th Century, and it was one of the first genocides that has occurred in history.
The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines a genocide as “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, …show more content…
A belief throughout the world is that religion has cause all major conflict within the world, and it may also be the case for the Armenian Genocide. The beginning of the conflict was due to the conflict between Christianity and the Armenians and the faith of Islam and the Turks, as Bloxham states “to Muslims they seemed to provide only the most obvious element of a link between external and internal Christian forces antithetical to the established order.” When the Armenians were absorbed by the Ottoman Empire, it is when the hatred of Christianity began, “Islamic hostility toward Christians had a contributing effect on the Genocide.” They were treated unjustly by having to pay a non-Muslim tax and the unfair treatment was continued through a lowered amount of political and legal rights. The Armenians thrived under this rule, as there were better educated and wealthier, and resentment grew. As Bloxham discusses, “the stereotype of disproportionate Christian advancement as a result of reform was reinforced as Christian social visibility increased in certain areas that were evident…to the Ottoman elite.” This resentment was compounded by suspicions that the Christian Armenians would be more loyal to Christian governments than to the Ottomans, due to their unstable borders and being on the verge of collapse. Being a Christian Armenian was now a grave responsibility. This attempt to restore the empires greatness by creating an …show more content…
The Turks believed that the Armenians were a threat to their national identity due to the Armenian Revolutionary Movement. They were a direct threat to the Ottoman Empire and their Turkification of the state, which lays the basis of the Armenian Genocide on the concept of Nationalism. Akcam discusses the concept of Turkish Nationalism and provides five main elements to it, “Location: ‘The Middle Position…Loss of Ottoman previous hegemony…instability and late nationalism in the process of Nation-State Formation…Military-Bureaucratic caste and national values…the longing for unity and the search for a leader who could achieve it.” This scenario and the decision of genocide occurred due to the perception “imbalance of power to weakness results in more than just an inferiority complex and anger…it bring with it a desire to wreak vengeance upon those who have bought about this situation.” This links to the idea that the genocide of the Armenians began long before 1915 and it was declared that “the elimination of the Armenian element in Turkey was decided upon earlier, circumstances did not allow us to accomplish this sacred duty.” The fact that Turkish national identity could be threatened by the strength of the Armenians was a reason for the Armenian genocide, but also to exert their power and create a statement to their bordering neighbours that they
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