If you were to overhear the words "extermination of about 50% of a
population" in a conversation you would probably think that they were talking
about "the" holocaust in Nazi Germany. You probably would not suspect that
they were talking about Turkey and the Armenians. During the First World War,
the Turks set out to annihilate the entire population of Armenians living
within their borders (they almost did).
An area known as Historic Armenia lies right in the middle of what is now
modern day Turkey. This is where the Armenian's ancestors began one of the
first civilizations thousands of years ago. Historic Armenia has proved to be
an important strategical location for the many empires that have taken control
of it over the centuries since it is the bridge between three continents,
Europe, Asia, and Africa. It has been conquered by King Darius I of Persia in
521 B.C., by Media in 612 B.C., by King Cyrus of Persia in 549 B.C., by
Alexander the Great, by King Antiochos III of Syria in 212 B.C., By the Arabs
in 642 A.D., by the Mongols in 1240, by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th
century, and most recently by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR)
1922. During most of the time in between the Armenians had their
independence. Despite or perhaps because of the constant warfare and conquest
of that region and the oppression that the Armenians have faced over time they
have developed into a "… strong-willed people, self reliant and fiercely
independent"… The Armenians were the first country in the world to make
Christianity their country's official religion (20 years before St.
Constantine the Great in Rome). They also played an important role in the
crusades. Ever since then, the Muslim Turks (the vast majority in Turkey)
have not gotten along with the Armenian Turks.
When the Ottoman Empire took control of Turkey, they tried to assimilate the
Armenians by forbidding them to speak their native language in some places and
imposing an extortionary tax on them. They were sometimes called gavurs,
which means less than human. They were, however, allowed to attend their own
churches (The Armenian Apostolic Church). In spite of the oppression that they faced they were able to adapt to Western
capitalism faster than their Muslim neighbors. More and more the Armenians
became the manufacturers, doctors, and teachers in Turkey. They had more
children in schools than before and their overall status in society was
beginning to rise.