Map of Ancient Armenia

 

 

 Ancient people first settled into modern Armenia around 3000 BC. It was used as a buffer state between "the Greeks and the Romans to the west and the Persians and the Arabs of the Middle East" (Gill). Armenia was often divided between empires and other Armenian rulers.

A

 

 

 is for Armenian Genocide, an even hidden in the shadow of World War 1.

 

 

B

 

is for the background, the rich history, of Armenia, which was the first state to adopt Christianity as the official religion.

 

C

 

is for the colleciton of states the Ottoman Empire acquired during their rise.

 

D

 

is for the decline of the Empire after the loss of the Balkans.

 

E

 

is for the equality the Armenians demanded, no longer satisfied as being second-class citizens, the revolutions of the time sparking their own rebellion.

 

F

 

is for the fear that Christians were taking over the Turks' Islamic Ottoman Empire.

G

 

is for the German and Turkish alliance during World War 1, made in hopes of reclaiming territory.

H

 

is for the Hamidiye soldiers who massacred Armenians and set the example for open assault.

I

 

is for Istanbul, filled to the brim with Muslim refugees who told horror stories of the Christians.

J

 

is for Jemal, Talaat, and Enver, the three ministers of the Marine, of the Interior, and of War, who formed a coalition called the Young Turks.

K

 

is for all the killing and torture, persecution and murder the Armenian citizens had to go through.

L

 

is for the leaders of the Young Turks who got angry at the Armenians who were found helping the army of Russia, the enemy.

M

 

is for a major defeat against Russia, and increased suspicion and violence against the Armenians.

N

 

is for no human rights left to the Armenians, and no sympathy from the Turkish.

O

 

is for opression, segregation, and exploitation of Armenian citizens.

P

is for prison, where the Armenian intellectual leaders were led so they could be slaughtered.

Q

 

is for the quelling of rebellion by rounding up Armenians and making them endure the "Death March".

R

 

is for the relentless rounds they went, endless circles in the desert until they were dehydrated, starved, and had died of exhaustion.

S

 

is for the systematic way the Turks tortured and knocked down Armenians after the state ordered mass killings.

T

 

is for the terrifying Death Squads, made up of released convicts, that the government let loose on the Armenians.

U

 

is for the unmourned and unburied bodies that lined the roads.

V

 

is for the virginity and innocence that were stolen from young Armenian girls.

W

 

is for the Westernization and industrialization of Turkey who, with the help of other Western nations, glossed over the fact that a major genocide happened in favor of having a new ally.

X

 

is for x numbers of denials, too many to count, collected over the years from Turkish citizens.

Y

 

is for Yves Ternon, who attempted to publish a book to educate the Turkish people on what had actually happened.

Z

 

is for zero recognition, zero reparations, zero calm discussions about the "methodical campaign of destruction" of 1915.

Works Consulted

 

Genocide 1915. "Armenian Genocide History and Timeline." Genocide 1915. Genocide 1915, n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

Gill, N. S. "Armenia - Early Period of Armenia." About.com Ancient / Classical History. About.com, n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

PBS. "PBS: The Armenian Genocide & Exploring The Issues (debate)." YouTube. YouTube, 23 Mar. 2014. Web. 07 May 2014.

Impressum

Texte: Anita Ruangrotsakun
Bildmaterialien: openclipart.org
Lektorat: Anita Ruangrotsakun
Übersetzung: Anita Ruangrotsakun
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 08.05.2014

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