One of the foremost pieces of information that stuck with me after the viewing was the fact that the creator of the term “genocide” used the atrocities committed against the Armenians as an example when explaining the definition of the term. This makes it very difficult for me to find any credence in Turkish claims that the genocide designation is misapplied.
The nature of the genocide itself was also almost contradictory. It clearly had some form of structure and organization. Senior government leaders ordered the deportations, and their rhetoric indicated extreme hatred and prejudice against the Armenians. But no official “kill order” has been found. However, the documentary made clear that this did not mean that a genocide did not occur. The actions speak for themselves. The deportations were intended to be death marches. In many cases the routes were over the most difficult and treacherous terrain, and did not take the direct path towards the supposed destination. Oftentimes the Armenians were marched in circles. Further atrocities not related to the official deportations also occurred. Witnesses and descendants testify that many women were violated and forced into harems. These stories indicate that the genocide was not simply an “accident” that occurred from overzealous locals and bad weather during wartime. Many acts of premeditated violence were observed in a way that completely counter the idea that over a million individuals “happened” to die.
Religious rhetoric was used as justification to encourage the locals to initiate further atrocities against the group. One religious leader is quoted as saying that killing enough Armenians will lead to the “the gates of hell turning into the gates of heaven”. However, it’s important to note that this does not mean that religion itself precipitated the killings. The Turkish mindset of the time was it will either be “us or them” who secures Anatolia. And as such, religious rhetoric simply played into this justification.