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ARMENIAN GENOCIDE - GERMAN GUILT?
Deutsche Welle, Germany
March 6 2015
Author Richard Fuchs
Witness or accomplice? At a congress in Berlin, historians have been
debating Germany's role in the genocide of Armenians 100 years ago.
New findings show that Germany's complicity is greater than previously
assumed.
In the German Reichstag on September 29, 1916, the diplomat Gottlieb
von Jagow had to give parliament an account of the terrible events
in Turkey, then the Ottoman Empire.
It was about mass displacement and executions taking place in the
eastern region of Anatolia. The German Empire was a colonial power
there at the time and also an ally of the Ottoman government, which
had previously initiated a mass persecution of Christian Armenians
before the onset of World War I. "We did everything we could," stated
Jagow in defense of Germany's passivity.
This silent acquiescence toward the mass murders has been the subject
of the International Historians Congress in Berlin.
Historians see the German Empire's involvement in the deportation
of Armenians as a proven fact. However, the part the Germans played
is still not clear. Were they mere witnesses, or were they actually
accomplices?
Depending on estimates, 300,000 to 1.5 million Armenians were murdered
by the Turks. and refer to it as genocide. Yet in modern-day Turkey,
the state that replaced the Ottoman Empire, the human suffering of
that era is still officially seen as "a war-related dislocation and
security measure." The number of victims is still a matter of dispute
in Turkey, making reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia difficult.
Germany knew and turned a blind eye
Armenians view the Germans as accomplices, says historian Ashot Hayruni
The 160 historians in Berlin were focused on Germany's complicity in
the Armenians' suffering. According to the Armenian historian Ashot
Hayruni from the State University of Yerevan, the Germans are seen
as accomplices because of their silence and cold indifference.
The German government just stood by and watched as the young
Turkish government expelled Armenians from Turkey to the deserts of
Mesopotamia, a region now in modern-day Iraq, Kuwait and Syria. And
Germans claimed that they did not want to interfere, even though they
were very well-informed.
Historian Christin Pschichholz from the University of Potsam has
no doubts. After having read files at the German Foreign Ministry,
she concludes that, "the German government had extensive information
about the destructive policies regarding the Armenian population
in the Ottoman Empire. Death marches, executions and forced labor:
German diplomats painstakingly took note of everything happening
around them at that time.
Historical witnesses were quite aware of the atrocities, as illustrated
by a dispatch sent on July 7, 1915 by the German Ambassador in
Constantinople (now Istanbul) to the Imperial Chancellor. It said,
"it is the declared intention of the government [meaning the Turkish
government] to destroy the Armenian race in the Turkish Empire."
A German military mission was posted to the Ottoman Empire at the
time of the genocide
Historian Rolf Holsfeld at Lepsiushaus, a highly regarded research
institute in Potsdam, says, "the statement that genocide took place
on Ottoman territory in 1915 and 1916 has been officially known to
the German government for over 100 years. "
The way Germany handles the subject of the Armenian genocide does
not directly reflect on Germany's complicity at that time. German
government officials have always avoided using the word genocide when
speaking of Armenia. Instead, they speak of massacre and dislocation.
In February 2015, the Linkspartei, German's far-left party, asked
parliament about the use of terms regarding the persecuted Armenians
in Turkey and the government decided to continue using the same
terminology. The reason given was that it did not want to jeopardize
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation. The German government's policy:
categorizations should be left to academia.
Armenia, together with more than 20 other countries, and the majority
of the historians at the Berlin convention have classified the events
as genocide, in accordance with the UN Genocide Convention of 1948.
About a year ago, the former Premier and now President of Turkey, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, broke the decade-old silence of Turkish officials on
this subject. He apologized to the victims and their descendants and
spoke of the "inhuman consequences" of the Armenians' expulsion. He
did not speak of genocide.
Inglorious role
President Erdogan apologized in the name of present-day Turkey
Former East German civil rights activist and former member of
parliament for the Social Democrats, Markus Meckel, was in the
Bundestag when the Armenian issue was first discussed 10 years ago.
Even then, no resolution regarding Turkey could be adopted if it
contained the word genocide. After a great deal of discussion, an
ensuing paper stated that the Germans apologized for the "inglorious
role" of the German Empire. It was not possible to say more. Even in
communism, said Meckel, history was defined by politics.
Yet Germany could send an important political signal by recognizing
the suffering of the Armenian people as genocide. He says, "Anyone
who does not use this term is basically giving the suffering and the
catastrophe a lesser meaning."
Historian Ashot Hayruni from the State University of Yerevan thinks
it is the German government's obligation and says, "It is important
that the German government adopts a decision in which the genocide
is recognized and condemned as such."
To Yerevan with a small German delegation
Historical photograph of Armenian refugees
According to DW sources, the German parliament plans to remember the
victims of the Armenian genocide with a debate. But there is little
cause to believe that anything will change in an argument about
remembrance culture.
Quite the contrary: now there is a dispute as to who will represent
Germany at the main memorial service in Armenia on the 100th
anniversary of the genocide on April 24 this year. The expulsion of the
ethnic group began at Istanbul's Haydarpasa station on April 24, 2015.
Until now, the German Foreign Ministry claims that it is still checking
to see who will officially represent Germany in the Armenian capital.
Insiders are expecting that Germany's reticence on this issue will
be underscored by the absence of high-level politicians. It is
possible that only the German ambassador will attend the service,
whereas France will be represented by the president himself, Francois
Hollande. Historian Jurgen Gottschlich has called this 'scandalous.'
http://www.dw.de/armenian-genocide-german-guilt/a-18298891
Deutsche Welle, Germany
March 6 2015
Author Richard Fuchs
Witness or accomplice? At a congress in Berlin, historians have been
debating Germany's role in the genocide of Armenians 100 years ago.
New findings show that Germany's complicity is greater than previously
assumed.
In the German Reichstag on September 29, 1916, the diplomat Gottlieb
von Jagow had to give parliament an account of the terrible events
in Turkey, then the Ottoman Empire.
It was about mass displacement and executions taking place in the
eastern region of Anatolia. The German Empire was a colonial power
there at the time and also an ally of the Ottoman government, which
had previously initiated a mass persecution of Christian Armenians
before the onset of World War I. "We did everything we could," stated
Jagow in defense of Germany's passivity.
This silent acquiescence toward the mass murders has been the subject
of the International Historians Congress in Berlin.
Historians see the German Empire's involvement in the deportation
of Armenians as a proven fact. However, the part the Germans played
is still not clear. Were they mere witnesses, or were they actually
accomplices?
Depending on estimates, 300,000 to 1.5 million Armenians were murdered
by the Turks. and refer to it as genocide. Yet in modern-day Turkey,
the state that replaced the Ottoman Empire, the human suffering of
that era is still officially seen as "a war-related dislocation and
security measure." The number of victims is still a matter of dispute
in Turkey, making reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia difficult.
Germany knew and turned a blind eye
Armenians view the Germans as accomplices, says historian Ashot Hayruni
The 160 historians in Berlin were focused on Germany's complicity in
the Armenians' suffering. According to the Armenian historian Ashot
Hayruni from the State University of Yerevan, the Germans are seen
as accomplices because of their silence and cold indifference.
The German government just stood by and watched as the young
Turkish government expelled Armenians from Turkey to the deserts of
Mesopotamia, a region now in modern-day Iraq, Kuwait and Syria. And
Germans claimed that they did not want to interfere, even though they
were very well-informed.
Historian Christin Pschichholz from the University of Potsam has
no doubts. After having read files at the German Foreign Ministry,
she concludes that, "the German government had extensive information
about the destructive policies regarding the Armenian population
in the Ottoman Empire. Death marches, executions and forced labor:
German diplomats painstakingly took note of everything happening
around them at that time.
Historical witnesses were quite aware of the atrocities, as illustrated
by a dispatch sent on July 7, 1915 by the German Ambassador in
Constantinople (now Istanbul) to the Imperial Chancellor. It said,
"it is the declared intention of the government [meaning the Turkish
government] to destroy the Armenian race in the Turkish Empire."
A German military mission was posted to the Ottoman Empire at the
time of the genocide
Historian Rolf Holsfeld at Lepsiushaus, a highly regarded research
institute in Potsdam, says, "the statement that genocide took place
on Ottoman territory in 1915 and 1916 has been officially known to
the German government for over 100 years. "
The way Germany handles the subject of the Armenian genocide does
not directly reflect on Germany's complicity at that time. German
government officials have always avoided using the word genocide when
speaking of Armenia. Instead, they speak of massacre and dislocation.
In February 2015, the Linkspartei, German's far-left party, asked
parliament about the use of terms regarding the persecuted Armenians
in Turkey and the government decided to continue using the same
terminology. The reason given was that it did not want to jeopardize
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation. The German government's policy:
categorizations should be left to academia.
Armenia, together with more than 20 other countries, and the majority
of the historians at the Berlin convention have classified the events
as genocide, in accordance with the UN Genocide Convention of 1948.
About a year ago, the former Premier and now President of Turkey, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, broke the decade-old silence of Turkish officials on
this subject. He apologized to the victims and their descendants and
spoke of the "inhuman consequences" of the Armenians' expulsion. He
did not speak of genocide.
Inglorious role
President Erdogan apologized in the name of present-day Turkey
Former East German civil rights activist and former member of
parliament for the Social Democrats, Markus Meckel, was in the
Bundestag when the Armenian issue was first discussed 10 years ago.
Even then, no resolution regarding Turkey could be adopted if it
contained the word genocide. After a great deal of discussion, an
ensuing paper stated that the Germans apologized for the "inglorious
role" of the German Empire. It was not possible to say more. Even in
communism, said Meckel, history was defined by politics.
Yet Germany could send an important political signal by recognizing
the suffering of the Armenian people as genocide. He says, "Anyone
who does not use this term is basically giving the suffering and the
catastrophe a lesser meaning."
Historian Ashot Hayruni from the State University of Yerevan thinks
it is the German government's obligation and says, "It is important
that the German government adopts a decision in which the genocide
is recognized and condemned as such."
To Yerevan with a small German delegation
Historical photograph of Armenian refugees
According to DW sources, the German parliament plans to remember the
victims of the Armenian genocide with a debate. But there is little
cause to believe that anything will change in an argument about
remembrance culture.
Quite the contrary: now there is a dispute as to who will represent
Germany at the main memorial service in Armenia on the 100th
anniversary of the genocide on April 24 this year. The expulsion of the
ethnic group began at Istanbul's Haydarpasa station on April 24, 2015.
Until now, the German Foreign Ministry claims that it is still checking
to see who will officially represent Germany in the Armenian capital.
Insiders are expecting that Germany's reticence on this issue will
be underscored by the absence of high-level politicians. It is
possible that only the German ambassador will attend the service,
whereas France will be represented by the president himself, Francois
Hollande. Historian Jurgen Gottschlich has called this 'scandalous.'
http://www.dw.de/armenian-genocide-german-guilt/a-18298891