Raphael Lemkin, the man who invented the word genocide, described the Armenian genocide as one of the textbook examples of genocide that caused him to investigate this crime and phenomenon in human history more thoroughly. Conversely, Hitler noted how no one remembered the Armenians and justified his assault on the Jews by the success of the Turks against the Armenians. Except for the Holocaust, this genocide is probably among the most famous genocides of the 20th century – even though Turkey still vehemently denies it occurred more than one century later.
This is part 2 in our podcast series Never Again…Again – The Ongoing History of Genocide. We look at the origins of the Armenian Genocide beyond a lot of the popular myths and explain how this terrible tragedy unfolded in the shadows of World War I. This podcast series is exploring the stories of genocide over the last 120 years all the way to the present. We are also considering the why and the how behind these massive human tragedies. The history is important to know, but learning from that history is an even greater priority.
Here are some links to additional reads as well as some of the books and movies JB Shreve and Brian Butler discussed in this episode.
Additional reading:
- History and Politics – New York Times
- US Holocaust Museum
