Essay about Examining Genocides in Germany, Armenia, and...

When people think of the word, ‘holocaust’, they probably think of World War II, Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, and concentration camps. In reality, there have been many holocausts before and since the most famous Holocaust in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 (Roth). Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines the word, ‘holocaust’, as â€Å"a thorough destruction involving extensive loss of life especially through fire†. This definition describes the Nazi Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, and genocide in Darfur, to name a few (UHRC). In 1933, Hitler’s Nazi regime took power in Germany at a time where the people lacked patriotism and were upset with their government. After losing World War I, Hitler’s anti-Semitism mindset was based on his ideals†¦show more content†¦4). In 1913, â€Å"three of the Young Turks helped to gain control of Turkey’s government via a coup† (UHRC, par. 10). They wanted to create a †Å"great and eternal land called Turan with one language and one religion† (UHRC, par. 10). The genocide began on April 24, 1915, when â€Å"300 Armenian political leaders, educators, writers, clergy and dignitaries in Istanbul were taken from their homes, briefly jailed and tortured, then hanged or shot† just for being a non-believer in the Muslim religion (UHRC, par. 19). After this, many Armenian men were being arrested for no real reason. They were then taken and shot or bayoneted by Turkish soldiers. Now, it was time for the Armenian women and children. These people were â€Å"ordered to pack a few belongings and be ready to leave home, under the pretext that they were being relocated to a non-military zone for their own safety when they were actually being taken on death marches heading south toward the Syrian Desert† (UHRC, par. 21). Over a million people took part in these â€Å"death marches† with almost  ¾ of people dying while traveling through the desert. After these two genocides, one may look at the past and ask, how could this death and destruction possibly happen again? The bad part is that it is happening again in the Darfur region of Sudan. This region is â€Å"about the size of Texas† (DarfurScores, par. 1) and â€Å"five thousand die every month†Show MoreRelatedIs Canada Committed Acts Of Genocide?1882 Words   |  8 PagesIntro: When the term â€Å"genocide† is used, the majority of people will immediately call to memory one of a few widely recognized instances where this atrocity was committed. The Holocaust, Rwanda, Darfur or Armenia are among the most well known, but are they the only instances where genocide has occurred? Surely not, but this is indicative of a problem we are faced with today. Since the term â€Å"genocide† was coined, countries are very wary of admitting to any acts of wrongdoing in their history which