As Tim Judah wrote, “This was not just ignorance but foolhardiness, for which the people of former Yugoslavia are still paying today.” Much of the ethno-nationalism felt by the people by the Bosnia-Herzegovina genocide, was a direct result of the violent and confusing history and ideologies prior to and after the World Wars. The connection between what was occurring in the Baltic States and within Turkey was strong. Until 1913, many of the Baltic states, that later formed Yugoslavia, were controlled by the Ottoman Empire. However, by the end of the Balkan Wars, the Ottoman Empire lost approximately 85 percent of their European territory and 70 percent of their European population. These shifts of power lead to uncertainty and nationalism within the newly, or almost, independent Baltic States and the shrinking Ottoman Empire.
Adolf Hitler once said "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" before he sent out troops to massacre men, women and children in Poland and Germany (Tran 1). This shows that because the Turks had gotten away with their actions at the time, Hitler felt that he could get away with it too. Thankfully, Hitler was wrong because Armenians are still around, spreading the word about their cause today, 97 years later. But how do these Armenians keep their 97 year old cause contemporary?
Between 1917 and 1924, Russia experienced serious unrest, mistrust and a massive split amongst the people. In March 1918, Leon Trotsky had been sent to negotiate the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This eventually led to Russia surrendering ’62 million people (one sixth of the population), 27% of farm land (some of the best in Russia), 26% of Railways and 74% of Iron Ore and Coal’ (quote from Russia and the USSR 1905-19441 by Terry Fiehn). Furthermore, a 300 year dynasty of Romanov Tsars had come to an end when Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and later executed alongside his family. On top of that, Russia’s Provisional Government was overthrown by a minority party (the Bolsheviks) during the November Revolution of 1917 who in turn formed the world’s first ever Communist government.
In 1994, Rwanda’s population of seven million was composed of three ethnic groups: Hutu (approximately 85%), Tutsi (14%) and Twa (1%). In the early 1990s, Hutu extremists within Rwanda’s political elite blamed the entire Tutsi minority population for the country’s increasing social, economic, and political pressures. Tutsi civilians were also accused of supporting a Tutsi-dominated rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Through the use of propaganda and constant political maneuvering, Habyarimana, who was the president at the time, and his group increased divisions between Hutu and Tutsi by the end of 1992. The Hutu remembered past years of oppressive Tutsi rule, and many of them not only resented but also feared the minority.
This threesome involved the country into WWI as the ally of Germany. Later in 1915 the same government outlined and put into effect a plan for the elimination of Armenians, estimated between two and three millions subjects. The plan was carried out in phases. In April 1915 people represented the Armenian religious, political, educational, and intellectual authority in the Western tradition, variously one thousand individuals, were jailed throughout the entire Empire, and consequently killed within few days. The next phase consisted of liquidation of the young male adult population, which mainly were recruits of the Turkish army.
The term “genocide” was made up by Raphael Lemkin in 1943. In April of 1915, the Ottoman government started the killings of the civilian Armenian population. In 1915, the Armenian population of the Ottoman State was reported at about two million. An estimated one million had perished by 1918, while others had become homeless and stateless refugees. By 1923, nearly the whole entire Armenian population disappeared.
The Genocide lasted from April to June of 1994. Rwanda had many events leading up to this devastating genocide involving the Tutsis and Hutus. The rivalry between the Hutus and Tutsis goes all the way back to 1916 when the Belgium came and declared the Tutsis to be the superior ethnic group. The Hutus anger built up over the years and an
The Genocide in Rwanda: Why did it happen? On April 7th 1994 the day after the presidents of the African states of Rwanda and Burundi had been killed in a plane crash near the Rwandan capital, what followed is one of the darkest and most brutal tragedies in modern history. Leaders of the Hutu Power and other hard-line extremists orchestrated the annihilation of around 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus and further displaced another 4 million. There are many factors which influenced the genocide including the radical ideologies of the extremist faction of the Habyarimana regime but ultimately the catastrophic failures of the UN and the idleness international community led to genocide. Rwanda is a country with a rich colonial history; firstly
From 1915 to 1923, Armenians were persecuted, beaten, stolen from, degraded, and deported. They were sent into places like the desert to die. To this day, the topic of the Armenian genocide remains a sensitive subject within diplomatic communities. According to Dr. Emil Souleimanov, assistant professor at the Department of Russian and East European Studies, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic and author of “An Endless War: The Russian-Chechen Conflict in Perspective“ (Peter Lang, 2007) “The dilemma of the so-called Armenian genocide remains a key political topic, which separates Armenia and the Turkish Republic and causes tension in the entire region.”. Genocide is a problem that does not go away over time; it stays present and festers until the situation is completely
Sir:- I have the honor to transmit herewith two copies of a report received from the American Consul General at Beirut relative to what has been going on in the Zeitoon region of Asiatic Turkey. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, (signed) [U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry] Morgenthau Enclosure: Two copies dated June 20. Duplicate A BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE PRESENT SITUATION OF THE ARMENIAN EXILES IN THIS REGION, JUNE 20, 1915. ************ The deportation began some six weeks ago, with 180 families from Zeitoon; since which time, all the inhabitants of that place and its neighboring villages have been deported: also most of the Christians in Albustan, many from Hadgin, Sis, Kars Pasar, Hassan Beyli and Deort