I do not remember hearing about the Armenian Genocide until Lauren talked to Ashley and me about it in our meetings.
According to Britannica (2009) "it is estimated that nearly two million Christian Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire by the late 1880s." That is not a small number, even in the large Ottoman Empire. Many Armenians began to support autonomy, and in response, their taxes were raised significantly, in addition to a collective resentment towards the Armenians and Kurds. However, when Armenians revolted, by not paying these taxes, they were killed, first in 1894 and again later, after an Armenian demonstration, in 1896. Between 1914-1918 about 600,000 Armenians were murdered or died of starvation. Many others went into exile.
The book The Bastard of Istanbul discusses the generations affected by the genocide on both the Turkish side and the Armenian side alike, in the form of a modern novel. As I was reading the book, I found astounding similarities between Lauren's blog entry and what she had told me, in relation to the book. The concept of Armenians dropping the "-ian" at the end of their last name as to not be found out to be Armenian, is one example.
(The Bastard of Istanbul P.114 - "Armenianness" #3: "If you have a picture of Mount Ararat hanging in your house, garage, or office.")
(Cited: "Armenian massacres." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Deluxe Edition. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009.)
Interesting post, Maria. I have ordered this book and can't wait to read it. I didn't know about the Armenian genocide either.
ReplyDeleteWow. I hadn't realized that the death tole was so staggering. The Turkish government claims that since these crimes occurred before the establishment of the Republic of Turkey (during the Ottoman Empire) the genocide was a crime of WWI, not the fault of the current Turkish government. Armenian and Kurdish oppression still occurs economically in Turkey.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the Holocaust is so widely known and yet this is the first I have heard about this genocide...
ReplyDeleteI had heard of the Armenian genocide. Reading the novel led me to read several webpages about it, including a pretty complete article in Wikipedia. I have been reading an extensive volume on the history of the Middle East, where it also comes up. Important testimony that supports the idea that it was a genocide was given by valiant German officers stationed in Turkey. Since Germany was an ally, unlike England or the US, these reports are harder to label as "biased." Not to say that the German high command tried to stop the genocide -- Wikipedia says they looked the other way.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the last photo; I remember reading that part in the book...although no one in my family does have that picture hanging up!!
ReplyDelete