Within seven months, more than 600,000 Armenians were massacred. Of the 500,000 deported during that same period, more than 400,000 perished as a result of the brutalities and privations of the southward march into Syria and Mesopotamia. By September as many as a million Armenians were dead, the victims of what later became known as genocide, later still as ethnic cleansing. A further 200,000 were forcibly converted to Islam.
Within just seven months, the Ottoman Empire saw the tragic massacre of over 600,000 Armenians, reflecting a grim chapter in history. Additionally, out of the 500,000 Armenians who were forcibly deported, around 400,000 lost their lives due to the severe conditions and violence they faced during their forced relocation towards Syria and Mesopotamia. By September, the estimated death toll reached a staggering one million, marking an event that would eventually be recognized as genocide.
The situation was further compounded by religious persecution, as around 200,000 Armenians were coerced into converting to Islam. This widespread violence and suffering became emblematic of the term ethnic cleansing, highlighting the systematic targeting of the Armenian population. Martin Gilbert's "The First World War: A Complete History" underscores the brutal reality of these events, which left deep scars on the collective memory of the Armenian people and the world.
