Throughout much of its history, Turkey has had it's eyes on the Armenian land. Conquering Armenia was and probably still is their desire today. Geographically speaking, Armenia is the only Christian nation, aside from Georgia, in that part of the world. It is surrounded in all directions by Muslim nations who would like nothing more than uniting their religious lands of muslim nations throughout the middle east stretching all the way to Europe and Asia.
During WWI the Ottoman emprire (the rulling empire in Turkey) decided that they could accomplish their goal of taking over Armenia by exterminating the nation all-together. Exterminating the entire race and leaving no Armenian heirs to guard the Armenian nation. The Ottoman Empire plotted the mass-evacuation and extermination of Armenians from Western Turkey and Eastern Armenia and executed these plans without disdain.
For a number of reasons, they were able to get away with it. European countries turned their back on Armenian genocide that took place in front of their eyes. Armenian leaders sent letters to European governments pleading to save Armenian people from massacre, but their cry was not answered. The world witnessed and did almost nothing to stop the first genocide of 20th century.
On April 24, 1915 Groups of Turkish soldiers knocked on the doors of Armenian people convincing them that the war would be faught in their lands and an evacuation was in order. They relocated these Armenian people from their land and home by promising safety from the war. They were also told that the Turkish soldiers were fighting for their safety and that they needed every weapon or household appliance that could assist them in fighting the war. The Armenians in their naïve trust in their neighbors gladly gave the soldiers all they had to offer.
Turkish soldiers had accomplished what they set out to do: moved the Armenians out of their homes, taken all their weapons and in the process gained their trust by leading them to believe that they were saving them!
Once they found themselves in secluded parts of the regions, the Turkish soldiers began hanging, murdering, raping and burning the Armenian people who could be influential in leading an uprising against them; professional people like doctors, writers, poets, professors, phillosophers and noblemen. After this first wave of executions, they began their pillage against the remainaing Armenian people.
There have been many stories of victims; how their eyes were taped open and they were forced to stare at the sun until they were blinded, how men were lined up in front of camps and decapitated one by one!
Many were beaten on their way through the deserts. They were stripped of their clothes and were forced to walk barefooted and naked through the harshness of the desert! Women were forced to dance around fire pits for the Turkish soldiers. They were later beaten, raped and killed. Children were starved and murdered. Turkish people also took many Armenian children to be raised in Turkish homes so their Armenian identity would be lost! Many people courageously killed themselves, by either drowning themselves in a river or by whatever other means they could find, just so the Turks would not get to them!
When all was said and done, 1.5 million Armenians were murdered, a country was torn apart and a people left grieving for their families and friends and all this, perpetrated by the government of Turkey, the Ottoman Empire.
*A little note: I didn't write this. Was borrowed from someone else's page, who also borrowed it from somewhere.. So please, copy and paste it in your blog or bulletin so it can spread around faster and MORE people will be aware and educated a bout it. Thanks!*
theres more here if you're interested:
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Armenian-Genocide
http://www.genocideevents.com/
http://www.anca.org
http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Armenian_Genocide_Photos
http://www.genocide1915.info/
