Subjugated first by the Romans, then the Serbs, and finally the Turks, Armenia was never independent. Although it was part of the Ottoman Empire, there was still a barrier between Turks and Armenians. In addition to not speaking the same language, the Turks were Muslims while the Armenians were Christians.
In 1914, the Ottoman Empire entered the war on the side of Germany, against the allies of Russia. As this country is Orthodox and close to Armenia, the Turks fear an attack in the back, and it is a year later that the genocide that we remember begins. But in 1896, already, the question of the Empire is present, and the Turks wonder if the Armenians will remain loyal; this is the reason why they are accused of everything:"You claimed […] that it was they who, by their imprudence, by their excitement, were largely responsible for the evils that had befallen their compatriots. » [1]
Jaurès shows himself on the side of the Armenians and defends them. The Sultan is pressured to stop the massacres, but to no avail. The pogroms continue, and Jaurès describes with what horror the Turkish soldiers mistreat the Armenians. When they revolt, it's even worse:"[...] I saw there the first resistance of this Armenian population, so long sheepish and passive, to arbitrariness and looting [...]" [2] because the Young Turks will later use the Van uprising as a pretext to justify the genocide.
There are several similarities between the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust:Hitler used the fact that a Jewish man killed a German (Herzel Grinspan saw his parents killed by the Germans:it was in retaliation that he took revenge) to set in motion his "final solution". Also in 1915, trains were used to deport, and death marches were used to finish, which happened again during the Second World War. In this case, it is the Sultan that Jaurès accuses, because it is he who orders the massacres, especially since everyone is aware, but no one reacts. It is indeed an intentional massacre:"The complete silence, silence in the press, part of which, I know, directly or indirectly, has been paid to be silent, silence in our major newspapers, the main sponsors are the beneficiaries of large Ottoman enterprises. [3] The Turks even pay the foreign press to remain silent.
The genocide is therefore due to the history of the Ottoman Empire and the difference between two religions. We know, however, that it was the Young Turks who organized this genocide, but they marked the country so much with their courage that they are now the pride of Turkey. Even today, this nation does not recognize the genocide, as well as other countries, such as Israel. The corruption seems to have lasted longer than expected. Now, it is the people affected by this episode in history who are trying to have it recognized, and asking for forgiveness, for a people who no longer exist.