In the late 20th century, the term, “ethnic cleansing” was first used. Initially, the term referred to the disintegration of what was Yugoslavia. Ethnic cleansings indicate the forced removal of a race from a territory by a more powerful race; this can be done through mandatory migration such as deportation. During wartime, the soldiers …show more content…
This event could have been prevent if the Turks respected societal morals. In the 4th century, Armenia’s new king was a Christian and demanded that Christianity be the only religion practiced while the surrounding nations were Muslim. This difference made Armenia a target and allowed it to be conquered various times. Armenia was the victim of several massacres beginning with the “‘box on the ear’ massacre” (Past). The Turks killed around 80,000 armenians by 1896. In 1909, when the “‘Young Turks’” took over the Ottoman Empire, they revealed to be “xenophobic” and demolished all of the remaining hope that Armenians had left; they planned on eliminating the entire Armenian population (Cooper). Consequently, with no sympathy, the Turks decided to disarm Armenians completely during WWI. It wasn’t until 1915 that the genocide actually began. The Young Turks went around marching from house to house torturing and killing “1.5 million Armenians” (Past). This determined group would not have committed these appalling acts if they felt any remorse whatsoever. They were able to eradicate any remnant that remained of “the three thousand year old civilization” (Cooper). Not one Ally jumped at an opportunity to rescue a dying civilization, all Allies kept their distance. At their benefit, the Ottoman Law prohibits any pictures to be taken of any deportee which limits any evidence of the severity of the ethnic cleansing. The lack of photo evidence supports the modern Turks who refuse to believe that what happened was not an act of ethnic cleansing rather an act of mass