The Armenian Genocide

Professor David J. Samuels defines political violence as “the use of force by states or non-state actors to achieve political goals” (Samuels 2012). He also outlines several different forms of political violence including civil war, revolution, suicide terrorism and genocide. How reliable are these categories and their definitions? The only way to test this would be to find a real-life example and compare our given definition.

                On April 24, 1915, Ottoman authorities arrested 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. Thereafter, the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their homes and forced them to walk hundreds of miles, depriving them of food and water, to the desert of what is now Syria. Massacres were indiscriminate of age or gender, with commonplace rape and sexual abuse (“Armenian Genocide” 2012).

                In the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian people were never considered as fully equal. During the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, toleration degenerated into frequent persecutions, often escalating into massacres. The genocide of the Armenians in 1915 was the first of the modern ideologically-motivated genocides (Chalk et al. 1990). It was the Ottoman government’s systematic extermination of its minority Armenian subjects from their historic homeland in the territory constituting the present day republic of Turkey. It took place during and after World War I and was implemented in two phases: the wholesale killing of the able-bodied male population through massacre and forced labor, and the deportation of women, children and the elderly and infirm on death marches to the Syrian Desert. The total number of people killed as a result has been estimated at between 1 and 1.5 million (“Armenian Genocide” 2012)

                So according to Samuels, genocide is “a coordinated plan seeking to eliminate all members of particular ethnic, religious, or national groups, through mass murder” (Samuels 2012). Does this definition accurately categorize this Armenian tragedy as genocide? Many people, including the republic of Turkey deny the word “genocide” as an accurate description of these events despite repeated calls to accept these events (“Armenian Genocide” 2012). The Armenian genocide does fit the definition in that it was a “coordinated plan” because it was most certainly arranged by the Ottoman government; that it was a “particular ethnic, religious or national group” in this case, the Armenian people would have been so characterized by ethnic, religious and national ties; and that it was “through mass murder” which in this case included mass burnings, drowning, uses of poison and drugs, deportations and extermination camps (“Armenian Genocide” 2012).I think that one of the weak points of Samuels’ definition is the phrase “eliminate all”. One point of historical significance in the case of the Armenian Genocide was that the Ottomans were not trying to eliminate all of the Armenian people; they were trying to drive them out of what is now Turkey. When the word “eliminate” is used, there is a connotation of eliminating anyone in that particular group. This is why I think that “eliminate” may be the wrong word. I think a better word would be “remove”.

                I submit that the textbook’s definition of genocide is a suitable definition. It accurately describes the events and tells why the Armenian genocide would be classified as genocide. It is a strong definition, but it could be a better definition. I don’t by any means wish to throw away the definition and present a new idea. I think the given definition needs a slight change in order to comply with the Armenian Genocide. If the phrase “eliminate all” were altered in the definition, it would be more accurate. The rest of the definition stands as applicable. According to this case study, genocide may be defined as “a coordinated plan seeking to remove members of particular ethnic, religious, or national groups through mass murder”.

               

Chalk, Frank, and Kurt Jonassohn. The History and Sociology of Genocide. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990.

Samuels, David J. Comparative Politics. Pearson Education, Inc., 2012.

Wikipedia, "Armenian Genocide." Last modified 2012. Accessed November 8, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide.