The Armenian Genocide

The word exterminate is often used when referring to the elimination of unwanted pests insect or animal that intrudes upon an area. Even then the removal or elimination of such creatures never reaches the point of total extinction. The reason behind this is simple, a universal train of thought that no one has the right to remove a species or totally destroy organisms on this planet. However, when the word exterminates is applied to humans it takes on a totally different meaning one that strikes horror in civilizations. The word extinct or exterminate is replaced with genocide when it refers to the intentional or deliberate destruction of a group of people because of nationality, race, or religion. This was the case within Ottoman Empire they

The extermination was state-sanctioned by the Ottoman Empire in response to protests by Armenians. The Ottoman military assisted by Turkish citizens’ pillaged Armenian villages and cities and massacred their citizens. According to reports over a hundred of thousand Armenians were murdered. The next incident would occur again a few years later in 1915 to 1918 and reemerge once again in 1920 and continue until 1923. Witness accounts of the Armenian Genocide suggest that Ottoman government during this time frame began collecting, deporting and executing three hundred Armenian leaders. These new acts of aggression were accredited to an Ottoman group referred to as The Young Turks. According to (Atamian, 2015) the time between1915 and 1923, the Young Turks were responsible for the removal of three million Christians two thirds of which was Armenian. The reason behind the removal of the Armenians and did this horrible incident even occur has been a question for debate that has gone unanswered for years. The answers to these questions are not easily attained, but evidence provided over the years indicates that religious differences and greed are the root causes of this historical

Over the years the term genocide has been categorized as having the following stages, 10 to be exact. Stanton, (2013) in an article for Genocide Watch he identifies ten stages of genocide, these stages are; classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, persecution, extermination, and denial (pg.2). All of these stages can be applied to the Armenian Genocide which classifies it as a textbook case for the definition and standard of genocide to date. In the case of the Armenian Genocide documentation from eye witnesses and historical files the classification of a culture to the point where they a distinguished one group from another group of individual by some factor that makes them unique. The uniqueness of the group could be but are not limited to race, culture, or spiritual beliefs (Stanton, 2013). The Young Turks of the Ottoman Empire were Muslims and the Armenians were of the Christians faith there is also some cultural differences however the focus will only on the religious aspects. Symbolization is simple the name or item used to identify the group or differentiate one group from another, it should be noted that symbolization and classification do not constitute genocide unless other requirements are met (Stanton, 2013). However, evidence shows that the Armenian Genocide meets the