Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide is a term which refers to the forced mass evacuation and related deaths of hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians , during the government of the Young Turks from 1915 to 1917 in the Ottoman Empire . Several facts in connection with the event are a matter of ongoing dispute between parts of the international community and Turkey . Although it is generally agreed that events said to comprise what is termed the Armenian Genocide did occur, the Turkish government rejects that it was genocide , on the alleged basis that the deaths among the Armenians were not a result of a state-sponsored plan of mass extermination, but of inter-ethnic strife, disease and famine during the turmoil of World War I .Despite this thesis, most Armenian, Russian, Western, and an increasing number of Turkish scholars believe that the massacres were a case of genocide. For example, most Western sources point to the sheer scale of the death toll . The event is also said to be the second-most studied case of genocide, and often draws comparison with the Holocaust. To date 24 countries, as discussed below, have officially recognized and accepted its authenticity as Genocide.

Results of Deportations
A photograph of a starving Armenian mother and child.
The Ottoman government ordered the evacuation or deportation of many Armenians living in Anatolia, Syria, and Mesopotamia. In the city of Edessa (modern Sanliurfa Eanl urfa) the local Armenian population, worried about their fate, revolted (early 1916 1916) against the Ottoman government and took control of the old city. Ottoman forces attacked the city and bombarded it with artillery but the Armenians resisted. The German General in command of the closest Ottoman army to the city, Baron von der Goltz Colmar_Freiherr_von_der_Goltz, arrived and negotiated a deal with the Armenians. In exchange for an Armenian surrender and disarmament, the Ottoman government agreed not to deport them. However, the Ottoman government broke the terms of the agreement and did deport the Armenians.

Impact on culture

Memorial
Genocide memorial at the Tsitsernakaberd hill, Yerevan
The idea for the memorial came in 1965 , at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the genocide. Two years later the memorial (by architects Kalashian and Mkrtchyan) was completed at the Tsitsernakaberd hill above the Hrazdan gorge in Yerevan. The 44 metre stele symbolizes the national rebirth of Armenians . 12 slabs are positioned in a circle, representing 12 lost provinces in present day Turkey . In the centre of the circle, in depth of 1.5 metres, there is an eternal flame. Along the park at the memorial there is a 100 metre wall with names of towns and villages where massacres are known to have taken place. In 1995 a small underground circular museum was opened at the other end of the park where one can learn basic information about the events in 1915 . Some photos taken by German photographers (Turkish allies during World War I ) including photos taken by Armin Wegner and some publications about the genocide are also displayed. Near the museum is a spot where foreign statesmen plant trees in memory of the genocide. Each April 24th (Armenian Genocide Commemoration Holiday) hundreds of thousands of people walk to the genocide monument and lay flowers (usually red carnations or tulips) around the eternal flame. Armenians around the world mark the genocide in different ways, and many memorials have been built in Armenian Diaspora communities.

Art
The well-known metal band System of a Down , four musicians all of Armenian descent but living in California, frequently promote awareness of the Armenian Genocide. Every year, the band puts on a Souls concert tour in support of the cause. The band wrote the song "P.L.U.C.K. (Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers.)" about this genocide in their eponymous debut album. The booklet reads: "System Of A Down would like to dedicate this song to the memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by the Turkish Government in 1915." Other songs, including the hit single Chop Suey! (from the album Toxicity ) and the song Holy Mountains (from Hypnotize ), are also sometimes believed to be about the Armenian genocide.The Armenian Genocide is also a popular theme in Armenian works of literature, and is a major theme of Atom Egoyan's film Ararat (2002).