Background:
In 1915, leaders of the Turkish government set in motion a plan to expel and massacre Armenians living in the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire. The Turkish government was predominantly Muslim and the Armenians were Christians. The Turkish Government feared that Armenians were helping Russia fight against the Ottoman Empire. Though reports vary, most sources agree that there were about 2 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire at the time of the massacre. By the early 1920s, when the massacres and deportations finally ended, some 1.5 million of Turkey’s Armenians were dead, with many more forcibly removed from the country. Today, most historians call this event genocide. However, the Turkish government does not acknowledge the enormity or scope of these events. Despite pressure from Armenians and social justice advocates throughout the world, it is still illegal in Turkey to talk about what happened to Armenians during this era.
Question:
Does the killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I meet the criteria of “genocide” as specified by the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide?
Write a persuasive essay in which you answer the question above by:
1) Making a strong thesis statement which states your claim clearly.
2) Defining genocide.
3) Citing specific evidence from the documents you have read for the skill section.
4) Considering the counter argument to your claim.
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Adopted by Resolution 260 (III) A of the U.N. General Assembly on 9 December 1948.Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Article III: The following acts shall be punishable:
(a) Genocide;
(b) Conspiracy to commit genocide;
(c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;
(d) Attempt to commit genocide;
(e) Complicity in genocide.
41. Modern World History: Skill Section
Carefully read and mark-up the documents below that relate to the question of the Armenian Genocide. You should use the information contained in the documents to answer the text dependent questions at the end of this section.
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Text Dependent Questions: Document Analysis
2 points each
1. Using evidence from 1 or more of the documents support the claim that Armenians faced a process of dehumanization.
2. Document 7, an infographic from a World History Textbook, claims that almost 2 million Armenians were relocated. Which other documents could be used to support this statement? (Use specific text citations from the documents you choose)
3 points each
3. Which document(s) could be used to support the argument that the killing of Armenians constituted genocide. Use specific evidence the document(s) you select to explain they support this argument.
4. Which document(s) could be used to oppose the argument that the killing of Armenians constituted genocide. Use specific evidence the document(s) you select to explain they support this argument.