ABSTRACT
In academic discussions, rarely do the definitions and uses of specific terms carry the intense weight as does the word "genocide" in general, and the term Armenian Genocide in particular. The Turks have invested considerable effort in erasing the memory of the Armenians and Armenian history in the Ottoman Empire, as though they had never existed. Dozens of American and European companies had also sold thousands of policies to Armenians in Turkey in the years preceding the genocide. The contention that the Armenian genocide set a precedent emanates from the historical perspective indicating that the Nazis were influenced by their knowledge of the Armenian Genocide and their appreciation of the fact that the perpetrators of the atrocity escaped punishment. The Armenian victims had bought life policies as a measure of precaution and protection for their families in the midst of a hostile environment that witnessed repeated intolerance, exploitation, and, ultimately, lethal violence from 1865 to 1925.
