Controversy Of The Armenian Genocide

“It was not war. It was most certainly massacre and genocide, something the world must remember” (Beilin). Beginning in 1915, the Turkish government created a plan to massacre Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire (History.com Staff). Armenians were taken from homes, arrested, and executed. Those who survived were forced to go on death marches through the Mesopotamian desert without desired resources. Armenians were abused both mentally and physically, causing thousands to die in only the first few weeks of the genocide. Throughout the Armenian Genocide, Armenians were targeted due to cultural and religious beliefs thus, this event resulted in the death of 1.5 million Armenians.
To begin with, many Ottoman ruler were Turkish, causing controversy with the Christian Armenians. After a while, the Armenians began to receive unequal treatment, for they had to pay higher taxes and had less legal rights. Suspicions grew stating that the Armenians were more loyal to the Russians, being that they were also Christian. Turkish Sultan, Abdul Hamid II was obsessed with loyalty, and was angered by the rebellious Armenians. In 1908, Abdul Hamid was overthrown by a new government known as the Young Turks (History.com Staff). The Armenians believed that the new government would …show more content…
The war was over, and Turkey had lost. Over time, the public learned the truth about the genocide, causing them to demand punishment for all guilty parties. Political and military leaders were arrested because of their war crimes. Many faced lengthy sentences, while some were sentenced to death. Several Young Turk leaders managed to flee to Germany, but they knew what was to come. With vengeance, a group of Armenian nationalists forged a plan known as Operation Nemesis. This plan was made to assassinate the leaders of the genocide (History.com). Many of the leaders were killed from this mission, while others were sentenced to death in