Part V: Bloody News, Through Page 198 Summary and Analysis

In "Before The Nazis," Peter begins to learn about the Armenian genocide from a book called "Ambassador Morgenthau's Story." He is working at the time as a mail runner, and in between runs, he spends time reading. Morgenthau, he learns, was a German Jew who came to America in 1865, and in 1913 was appointed as ambassador of the US to Turkey. Morgenthau explains that the ruler of Turkey, Abdul Hamid II, was a tyrant. As his empire began to crumble, he began to take out his frustration on the minorities of Turkey, including the Christians, which were mostly Armenian. By 1896, over two hundred thousand Armenians were killed. In 1908, Hamid II was brought down by Talaat Pasha, Enver Pasha, and Dhemal Pasha, or the Young Turks. Promising reform, the three men of military...