The Armenian Genocide: Responses and the Aftermath

As depicted in the first part of this paper, the Armenian Genocide was never recognized nor even referred to as Genocide by the U.S. government or Turkey. The second part of my paper will explain the responses to this Genocide, mainly U.S. and Turkish responses, as well as the aftermath effects upon the Armenians throughout the world and in present day Armenia.
During 1915, America was entering WW1 and Armenia was obviously of no concern to them, however this doesn’t mean that they were not aware of what was occurring at the time. Americans all around the nation were aware of the crimes against the Armenians because the U.S. media was overflowing with stories depicting the Genocide. The Armenian Assembly of America claims:
The American print media devoted extensive coverage to the fate of the Armenian people during the Turkish atrocities. In the New York Times alone, over 194 new articles appeared.
A few of these headlines were, “Appeal to Turks to Stop Massacres” printed in the New York Times on April 28, 1915; “Armenian Sent to Desert to Perish” printed in the New York Times on August 27, 1915; “800,000 Armenians Counted Destroyed” printed in the New York Times on October 7 1915; “Aid from Armenians Blocked from Turkey” printed in the New York Times on November 1, 1915; “Million Armenian Killed or in Exile” printed in the New York Times on December 15, 1915; and “Armenia’s Tragic Finish” printed in the Literary Digest on February 25, 1922.
Not once did the United States intervene on the behalf of the Armenian people with a threat to Turkish military bases. Even when the United States entered WW1, President Wilson, “refused to declare war on or even break off relations with the Ottoman Empire.” (Power 13). Power also states:
America’s nonresponse to the Turkish horrors established patterns that would be repeated. Time and again, the U.S. government would be reluctant to cast aside its neutrality and formally denounce a fellow state for its atrocities. Time and again though U.S. officials would learn that huge numbers of civilians were being slaughtered, the impact of this knowledge would be blunted by their uncertainty about the facts and their rationalization that a firmer U.S. stand would make little difference. Time and again American assumptions and policies would be contested by Americans in the field closest to the slaughter, who would try to stir the imaginations or their political superiors. And time and again these advocates would fail to sway Washington. The United States would offer humanitarian aid to the survivors of “race murder” but would leave those committing it alone. (Power 13- 14)
By the end of WW1, Britain, France and Russia began organizing the century’s first international war crimes tribunal (Power 14). The 1920 Treaty of Sevres called for punishment of the perpetrators, but the new Turkish Nationalistic party, headed my Mustafa Kemal Ataturk undermined the entire process. Talaar, Enver, and Djemal Pasha had fled from Constantinople to Germany. The military court in Turkey found all three men guilty and convicted them to death in absentia (Balakian). The rulings of the court however, did not provide justice to the Armenian people. Germany refused to give up the Pasha’s to Turkey, and Ataturk’s party fell into power without holding any of the perpetrators guilty. Armenians took justice into their own hands. A young Armenian named Soghomon Tehlirian assassinated Talaat in Germany in 1921. He was the only survivor in his family. A German court found Tehlirian not guilty due to temporary insanity (Power). In 1922, an Armenian named Stepan Dzaghigian assassinated Djemal and Enver was later killed in a bombing. Even though these men were killed, there has never been any restitution nor acknowledgment form the Turkish government for the justice of the Armenian people.
During the years of 1920- 1923, tens of thousands of more Armenians were massacred by Ataturk’s new party (Miller and Miller). This new party, although opposed to the “Young Turks,” shared the same common ideology. They still wanted to have a massive Muslim- Turkish state, and would do anything to achieve it. “By the end of 1923, the entire Armenian population of Anatolia and Western Armenia had been either killed or deported” (The Armenian Assembly of America 1988). Talaat Pasha once boasted, “ I have accomplished more towards solving the Armenian problem in three months than Abdul Hamid accomplished in thirty years!” (Power).
The Aftermath
After the end of WW1, Armenian went back to their homeland only to find their homes burned or inhabited by the Turks who felt they had the right to live in these homes because Armenians, after all were the ones who left them behind (Miller and Miller). Between 1918- 1920, Armenia enjoyed “self- rule” as an independent nation, however it was short lived. The small republic was then annexed to Russia and became the Soviet Republic of Armenia. After a long struggle, Armenia finally gained its independence in 1991.

The Armenian Genocide was a blue print for the Nazi’s. On August 22, 1939, one week before Adolf Hitler gave his orders to invade Poland, he addressed his military commanders with orders to, “Kill without pity or mercy, all men, women, and children of Polish race or language (Screamers). He concluded his remark by saying, “Who, after all speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” (Balakian).
This Genocide was immoral, unjust, and purely hateful. Over ninety- three years later, survivors still remember details of what went on in 1915. My great- grandmother who has Alzheimer’s can still remember in extreme detail the events of 1915 and explain them as if they occurred just yesterday. Before the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide was considered to be the worst crime against humanity and the first genocide of the 20th century. Today the crime is simply remember as the “forgotten genocide” (Kuper). Before the Genocide of 1915, more than 2 million Armenian lived in Turkey, and now there are less than 100,000 Armenians living there. The Genocide caused a plethora of Armenians to migrate out of their homeland to neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. This is what is known as the Armenian Diaspora. Today, there are more Armenians living outside Armenia then there are actual residents of Armenia. Due to this Genocide, Armenians are no longer just Armenian. We are considered to be Armenian- Lebanese, or Armenian- Iranian. For example, my great grandmother fled to Iran during 1915, and built a home there. My grandparents and both of my parents were born and raised in Iran. Therefore, I am considered to be an Armenian- Iranian.
Turkey tried to erase the Armenian people from the world. Our language, art, music history was all to be forgotten. However, they failed miserably. What they failed to recognize is the spirit and patriotism we have as Armenians. We will do all it takes to keep our culture alive. We will never let it die and we challenge anyone who is willing to erase us from history. I leave you with this quote by William Saroyan, which concludes my point:
I should like to see any power in this world destroy this race; this small tribe of unimportant people whose wars have been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, whose literature is unread, whose music is unheard, and whose prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy this race! Destroy Armenia! See if you can do it. Send them away from their homes into the desert. Let them have neither bread nor water. Burn their homes and churches. See if they will not live again, see if they will not sing and pray again. For, when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a new Armenia.

-William Saroyan (1908-1981)

Left by VAHEH AMIRJANIANS on mai 2nd, 2008