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The Ottoman Empire, ruled by Muslim Turks, is founded and invades the Armenian homeland. Armenians are now governed according to Islamic law, which demoted non-Muslims to second-class citizens by denying them basic civil rights.
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The first Armenian massacre takes place under the rule of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II. A total of 300,000 Armenians were killed.
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The Young Turks come to power and establish a new constitution, promising to improve the treatment of minorities in the Ottoman Empire.
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The Young Turks entered World War I on the side of Germany and set out to convert the country's minorities. The Ottoman army uses the event of war to forcibly remove the Armenian population from its homeland.
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2 million Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire and 1.5 million Armenians were killed. The roughly 500,000 survivors were forced from their homes in Ottoman Turkey.
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This was the beginning of the Young Turk government's campaign to eliminate Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Armenians are taken from their homes, jailed, tortured, and murdered.
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World War I ends, and the Ottoman Empire surrenders.
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In Turkey, it is illegal to talk about what happened to the Armenians during the genocide, and Turkey claims that it was never a genocide. Forty-three U.S. states have recognized the Armenian Genocide either by legislation or proclamation.