History Courses For Dr. Christopher C. Lovett
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History Courses For Dr. Christopher C. Lovett |
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Updated as of 2 October 05 Today in History: On October 2, 1780, Major John Andrι, a British spy associated with Benedict Arnold, was executed on this day in history. Quote of the Day: "In my view we are much worse off now than when we went into Iraq. This is not a partisan position. I voted for these guys." A senior figure at a military-sponsored think tank as told to James Fallows in "Bush's Lost Year" in The Atlantic Monthly (Oct. 2004) Take the Ann Coulter Quiz Where are you politically? Take the Neocon Quiz and find out. "History is Far too Important to be left to History Professors" Teaching isn't such a novel idea
Bibliography:
History of Disease Contemporary Terrorist Organizations Map of Islamic Terrorist Cells in the U.S.A.
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The Armenian HolocaustHolocaustFall 2008The Boundaries of the Eastern ProvincesIntroduction Twenty years before the butcheries of 1915, tens of thousands of Armenians were murdered by the Turks under Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Why did this happen? According to some, it was the result of Armenian provocation. But this is too simplistic. To understand what had happened one needs to look at the ideology, motives of the government, and popular perceptions of the period.The Need to Maintain the Social Order It was a way to maintain the existing social order. The Armenian national renaissance threatened his hold over the sate. In order to maintain his position Abdul was willing to use state sponsored terrorism. These were not the same as conducting genocide.The Origins of the Massacres They started in Aug. 1894. The British Ambassador to the Sublime Porte is the best source of information. At first, Sir Cecil Currie, didnt think it was that important. Especially when the Armenians, who are Christians, when they repulsed attacks on their communities by the Kurds. Stopping the Kurds was one thing, stopping the Turkish Army was another matter. Once the Turkish Army was used the massacres started. They lasted for 23 Days. Over 10,000 Armenians were killed. Especially when there were no reports of Armenian disturbances in the region. The Armenians were saved by Western protests.The Western Response to the First Wave of Turkish Massacres The Sublime Porte established a commission to investigate the allegations of massacres. But they would not hear testimony from the Armenians. The Turkish commanders were all rewarded for what they had accomplished. The British, French, and Russians all sent representatives to investigate reports of massacres. The Western powers felt that if the Ottomans only reformed their state, this would not happen.The Massacres Spread Throughout Turkey The spread throughout Turkey in Oct. 1895. Following an Armenian Nationalist Procession in Constantinople. Hundreds of Armenians were killed. Between Oct. 3-5, 1895, there were at least 15 major outbreaks of anti-Armenian violence. Twenty more in November and five in December.The Armenian Response On August 24, 1896, the Armenian Revolutionary Party seized the Imperial Ottoman Bank in Constantinople. The Armenians were hoping for external aide, ie, from the Russians and the British to help them. Instead over 6,000 Armenians were massacred again. The Europeans did nothing to stop the slaughter. Estimates are vague, but perhaps 2% to 12% of the Armenian populations was murdered. Actual numbers are in the area of 50,000 to 300,000 killed. Total population in the Ottoman Empire was 38,493,000.Population Stats in the Ottoman Empire Total population of the Empire stood at 38,493,000. The Turks had 13,500,00 or 35% of the population. The Armenian population was 2,500,000 or 6.5% of the total population of the Empire.Perception of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire The Armenians were perceived like the Jews to be inferiors in the corporate entity of the Turkish State. Like the Jews in Europe, Armenians were hard workers and were quite successful. This was not appreciated by the rest of the Turkish populace. Even though the Armenians suffered greatly, but it was not genocide yet.To Be Genocide The Turks needed an ideology that targets a specific group and justifies their domestic policy. Likewise, this requires a political power in order to put those policies into action. A revolutionary situation may increase the likelihood of this to happen as would war.The Committee of Union and Progress and the National Socialists The CUP came to power when the Sultan failed to stand up to the Great Powers. The CUP hoped to implement a liberal agenda. After the First Balkan War in 1912, Turkey lost ½ of her territory. After that, The Young Turks adopted Chauvinism and Xenophobia to gain support. The Victims were the Armenians The Nazis came to power following the Great Depression. The inability to gain support from the West. The Treaty of Versailles and Germanys lost in territory and reparations. The Nazis pointed to the November Criminals. The victims were the Jews.An Explanation One theory traces the Armenian genocide to the Armenians themselves. Another view was the revolutionary situation in Turkey after 1908. The World War I experience created the climate for additional violence and gave the Turks an opportunity to settle old scores with the Armenians. The war gave Talaat Pasha (Minister of Interior) and Enver Pasha (Minister of War) the green light for their genocidal plans.The Start The murders started in the Spring of 1915. The total of Armenian population was deported from those regions that were inhabited by Armenians. The first procedure was to disarm all Armenian troops in the Turkish Army. This was then applied to the Armenian general population.The Principle RoutesThe Deportations All deportations were coordinated with the Ministry of War and Interior. On April 18, 1915, the Armenian Labor Battalions were massacred. After that, Armenians were deported from major population centers. On April 24, 1915, Armenian community leaders were arrested. The leaders of the Armenian people were then imprisoned in Istanbul. Armenians around the world mark the start of the Armenian genocide on April 24th. Then all able-bodied Armenian males were murdered.Envers Special Action Units Initially their assignment was countering espionage and sabotage. They infiltrated Armenian organizations. They encouraged Armenians to leave their sanctuaries in Russia and return to the Turkish side of the border. To carry out the mass murders, the Turks relied upon cadres of criminals. The gendarmerie instead of protecting the deportees, actually helped the murderers. The Turkish government today has continue to downplay these murders.The Total Tally of the Dead In 1914, the total Armenian population stood at 2.1 million. Approximately 600,000 Armenians avoided deportations 182,000 escaped to Russia and 4,200 fled to Egypt. All told 1 million people were murdered or approximately fifty percent of the pre-1914 Armenian population.Entente Warnings to Turkey On May 24, 1915, the Entente Powers warned the Turks that they Turks will be held responsible for the crimes of Turkey against humanity and civilization. Trials were called for in order to punish the perpetrators. The trials were to take place in Turkey. However, no trials happened. The Treaty of Sevres (1920), signed on August 10, 1920, called for trials of those involved in the genocide. Article 230 of the Treaty called for Turkey to surrender all those responsible for the crime.Why The Trials Never Happened The Treaty of Sevres would have established a precedent for the future Nuremberg Trials in 1946. The trials never occurred because of the split of the Allies and the rise of Mustafa Kemal. All the key criminals Enver, Talaat, and Jemal had fled to Germany. The Sultans allies called for the trials to discredit the CUP.The Legacy of the Armenian Genocide The Armenians cannot forget nor forgive. This has led to the birth of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA). Formed in 1975 and organized to have the Turkish government acknowledge publicly the crimes against the Armenian people. Has conducted random bombings in Europe. Most recently claimed the unsuccessful assassination attempt on the Turkish ambassador to Hungary. Marxist organization and is rift with internal schisms.You Can Read More About It InIn Memory of Those Who Died
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