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- Dates: 1915 - 1923
- Location: The Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey)
- Victims: Ethnic Armenians within the empire
- Government responsible: Ottoman Empire
- Estimated casualties: 1.5 millionCNN.com: Armenia's painful past (April 29, 2005)
- Methods: Mass execution
- Influenced Adolf Hitler's plans for the HolocaustArmenian National Institute: Adolf Hitler - Statement on the Armenian Genocide
- 21 countries officially recognize the genocide
- Turkey denies that the killings were an organized genocide
- Annually commemorated on April 24, to coincide with the first documented killings
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The Armenian Genocide refers to a period of about seven years during the Young Turks' government of the Ottoman Empire. Between two and three million ethnic Armenians were forcibly deported from the empire and an estimated 1.5 million were systematically killed by the government.New York Times: House Panel Raises Furor on Armenian Genocide (October 11, 2007) Categorizing the incident as a genocide has been the topic of international debate and controversy.
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Key Dates
- 1914: World War I breaks out, and the Ottoman Empire fights against Russia
- April 24, 1915: Ottoman government rounds up and kills numerous Armenian community leaders under the pretext of rebellious alliances with Russia
- May, 1915:
- -Two to three million Armenians forcefully deported from the Ottoman Empire and are marched towards Syria
- -Eyewitness reports indicate Ottoman troops massacred civilians along the way
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Holocaust Precursor
The Armenian Genocide was the first documented case of a government-organized plan to exterminate a specific ethnic group. The situation has been characterized by historians as the first genocide of the 20th Century and a precursor to the Holocaust.Contemporary Debate
More than 20 countries,BBC: Q&A - Armenian 'genocide' (October 11, 2007) and 41 of the 50 United States,Armenian National Committee of America: Genocide Recognition by U.S. States officially recognize the incident as genocide, and not simply mass murder. But the Turkish government, political descendants of the Ottoman Empire disputes the contention that it was a genocide.BBC: Bitter history of Armenian genocide row (January 23, 2001)-
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The Armenian Genocide Questions
Should Obama push Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian genocide? 2 AnswersFrom a moral point of view: Yes, absolutely. I think it's important for a nation to recognize the mistakes that were made in the past. For instance like how Tr... read more
Who was the last USA president who recognized the Armenian Genocide??? 2 AnswersI'm going to answer differently. Despite protests by the Turkish government today (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-25-voa15.cfm), it was the American gov... read more
Did Hitler really say "Who, after all, speaks to-day of the annihilation of the Armenians?" 2 AnswersThe speech was allegedly made on August 22nd 1939 (one week before the invasion of Poland) to Wehrmacht (Germany Military) commanders at Hitler's s Obersalzberg... read more
What is the background to the genocide in the Congo? 3 AnswersVery few news sources have been adequately covering this war, it's a lot more complex then just Hutu rebels invading. It's a resource war. Johann Hari of the In... read more


