The Thirty-Year Genocide

Turkey's Destruction of Its Christian Minorities, 1894-1924

By: Benny Morris, Dror Ze'evi, Claire Bloom

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

A reappraisal of the giant massacres perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire and then the Turkish Republic against their Christian minorities from 1894 to 1924

Between 1894 and 1924, three waves of violence swept across Anatolia, targeting the region's Christian minorities, who had previously accounted for 20 percent of the population. By 1924 the Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks had been reduced to two percent. Most historians have treated these waves as distinct, isolated events, and successive Turkish governments presented them as an unfortunate sequence of accidents. The Thirty-Year Genocide is the first account to show that the three were actually part of a single, continuing, and intentional effort to wipe out Anatolia's Christian population.

The years in question, the most violent in the recent history of the region, began during the reign of the Ottoman sultan Abdulhamid II, continued under the Young Turks, and ended during the first years of the Turkish Republic founded by Ataturk. Yet despite the dramatic swing from the Islamizing autocracy of the sultan to the secularizing republicanism of the post-World War I period, the nation's annihilationist policies were remarkably constant, with continual recourse to premeditated mass killing, homicidal deportation, forced conversion, mass rape, and brutal abduction. And one thing more was a constant: the rallying cry of jihad. While not justified under the teachings of Islam, the killing of two million Christians was effected through the calculated exhortation of the Turks to create a pure Muslim nation.

Revelatory and impeccably researched, Benny Morris and Dror Ze'evi's account is certain to transform how we see one of modern history's most horrific events.

©2019 Benny Morris and Dror Ze'evi (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Mispronunciations

Some Turkish words are mispronounced. Some truly very badly. A Turkish speaker would have done a better job.
The body of work is excellent.

Excellent and Exhaustive

This audiobook provides an authoritative account of the three decades of ethnic and religious violence that plagued Anatolia and surrounding areas. The authors present the best known Armenian genocide of 1915-16 in the context of large anti Christian violence against Greeks and Assyrians, and the earlier 1894-96 and later 1919-1923 mass killings, forced conversions, rapes, and delortations As the length and subject should make obvious, this narrative will not be a simple read/listen, and the grim subject matter can leave you glum or angry, since there are so many horrors described within. That point is not a criticism, but speaks to the talent of the reader and the thoroughness of the authors.

Amazingly dark and shocking!

I appreciate the careful telling of what happened to minority groups under Ottoman Turkish rule between 1894 and 1924. I am also grateful for the last chapter, wherein the authors compare the Turk-generated genocide to Adolf Hitler's treatment of Jews and other minorities in the 1940s. The "golden voice" of Stefan Rudnicki was pleasant to the ear!

Comprehensive

Excellent academic treatment of events which are difficult to study, especially considering the politically sensitive nature of the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.

Part of history needed to be told again.

This study of what happened to the Christians from 1894 to 1924 during the Ottomans empires last years, the young Turks and Ataturk, is remarkably in its detail, while at the same time revealing the devastating scope and horror of the Genocide.

Make no mistake this was a genocide, and one of the most devastating the World has seen.

The perpetrators were motivated primarily by religious fervor and secondarily by fear of loss of territory and desire for gain of property.

The perpetrators were predominantly Muslim Turks aided by then allied Kurds. The victims were Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks.

Obviously there were atrocities by the ultimate victims against the perpetrators, who would not want to defend themselves, but except for a misguided attempt by Greeks between 1919 and 1923 to gain territory in western Anatolia, Turkish attempts to blame others is completely unjustified. Even then, what Turks eventually did to the Greek population in Anatolia is not proportional to what Greeks did to Turks.

It is disturbing that Turkey not even today has accepted any responsibility for these 30 years of genocide against Christians. Contrary to the German genocide against primarily Jews during the Second World War, which Germany has accepted responsibility for, Turkey continue to deny any responsibility for events covered in this excellent book. This is completely unacceptable and by itself should prevent Turkey from being a member of international organizations like the EU.

By not accepting responsibility Turkey effectively is suggesting that the religious animosity and superiority feelings which resulted in these genocidal acts remain prevalent, and certainly the present day behavior of President Erdogan only confirms this.

This book is highly recommended and the authors deserves great appreciation for their 10 years of research into these horrible events.

Thorough and Depressing

The book is a detailed recounting of the terrible events between 1894 and 1924 that lead to the destruction of the Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian Christian communities in Anatolia. It is a story of almost endless horror with few bright spots. Nevertheless it’s very important that people know what was done and by whom.

The Definitive Account of the Late Ottoman Horrors

I give the highest recommendation for this book as not only it covers vital piece of human history, but the authors rely solely on primary source evidence which they read in several languages over a decade long period. While that may sound like a book so loaded with detail it becomes a snoozer, this book is loaded with details of the horrors of war, persecutions, and genocide throughout. While I don't agree with all of the author's conclusions, the scholarly work done here should be considered vital historiography.

Try not to cry

Have we learned from the lessons of genocides in our history?

If not punished, crimes will happen again and again.

History that needs to be told

This is a history that is often overlooked. A year by year depiction of what happened sharing all atrocities.

Pay Close Attention to This Stunning Achievement

Don't get distracted or you'll lose your place. The Armenian genocide was one of the most horrifying, terrifying events in history. The absolute near annihilation of Christian minorities in Turkey from 1894-1924 is so egregious it's hard to truly quantify. And it was largely covered up or minimized. Today, it is one of the forgotten atrocities. The Turks had a plan for Armenian genocide, but the exact plan was more-less secret, as documents have yet to be found that outlay the plan for genocide. However, with deportations and outright massacres, genocide was obviously the goal.

The authors did a most incredible job with this book, in it's breadth and detail. They report the atrocities with no bias, but with clear intent to show that a true Christian genocide did occur and with intent. The book is very dense and if one doesn't pay close attention, it's easy to have no idea what's going on. Stefan Rudnicki is in his element here. He's a most wonderful narrator for history books, especially one like this. He was the perfect choice. I cannot recommend this work highly enough! What a stunning achievement.