Historical Background of the Armenian Genocide

The Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex pictured in 2015 during the annual Armenian Genocide Commemoration on April 24th

The Armenian Genocide was the systematic killing of Armenian Christians who were living in the Ottoman Empire (primarily present-day Turkey) in the early 20th century, beginning in the spring of 1915. Although the most intense period of the Genocide lasted until the fall of 1916, waves of massacres continued until 1923. During this time, there were about 1.5 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. As a result of the Genocide, 664,000 to possibly as many as 1.2 million Armenians perished.

A still image of a dead body that was a casualty of the Armenian Genocide

Violence Preceding the Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide was not a standalone event, but rather was preceded by decades of discrimination and waves of violence against the minority Armenian community within what was then known as the Ottoman Empire. The brutally violent events that led up to the Genocide involved massacres of Armenian people, while also including individuals of fleeing Armenian caravans getting murdered and robbed with other individuals being forced to convert to Islam after being taken into Muslim families. Kids less than five years of age were sometimes spared and put up for adoption for Muslim families. Some Armenian women preferred jumping in the Euphrates River to avoid capture or to avoid being forced to surrender. The women who were captured were raped, but some actually had the strength to then drag their attackers to death into the River. On the other hand, Armenian men were not spared and were instead killed and then thrown into the River. These massacres and violence displayed a shift from the spontaneous killing of Armenians to the systematic killing of the Armenian people, with the Ottomans’ goal of reducing the Armenian Christian presence to allow for the Eastern Anatolia region to become increasingly Islamized growing more apparent.

A still image of Armenians being marched out of town under the guard of armed Turkish soldiers to prison in nearby Mezireh

Destination Death: Deportation and Concentration Camps

During the time period of May through November of 1915, Ottoman authorities drove Armenians from their homes while also forcing them to take on the role of outlaws and resistors. Lack of transportation made the fleeing Armenians vulnerable to attack, and led to the higher potential of them getting killed. During this deportation period, many Armenians died due to disease, exposure, dehydration, and starvation. This lack of transportation led to Armenians being forcibly marched through the desert, very similar to the forced marches of caravans of Armenians that occurred pre-Genocide. Just like those who experienced the forced marches preceding the Genocide, a large number of girls and young women were abducted along with Armenian children who were stripped from their families and converted to Islam. Some of those who were left in the marches committed suicide, while others experienced violence including rape, torture, extortion, and murder. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians died before reaching their designated destination, which were hastily set-up concentration camps located mostly in Syrian desert towns. Unfortunately for the Armenians who made it to these camps, these camps were set up with the intention of being locations for mass massacres, with these camps garnering the nickname “Death Camps”. These Armenians didn’t realize that they were marching towards their death, as this also led to these marches also being coined the “Death Marches”.