Circassian genocide

Circassian Genocide
see caption
Russian general Grigory Zass watches his soldiers put heads of killed Circassians on poles
LocationCaucasus, Russian Empire
Date1863-1878
TargetCircassians
Attack type
Genocide, Deportation, Mass murder
Deathsc.1,000,000-1,500,000
PerpetratorsRussian Empire

The Circassian genocide was a systematic mass murder, ethnic cleansing and expulsion of Circassians in the Caucasus. It was done by the Russian Empire during the Russo-Circassian War, which lasted from 1863 until 1878.

The Circassian genocide is deemed the deadliest ethnic cleansing of the 19th century. Between 94–97% of the Circassian population was killed, deported, or forced to flee the Russian Empire during the genocide.

Victims

The Circassians were either mass-murdered or forcibly kicked out of their homeland during the genocide.

Killings

Also see: Genocide

Estimates say that between 1 million and 1.5 million people Circassian people were killed in the genocide. Killing methods included impaling people and ripping open the bellies of pregnant women. This was mainly done to intimidate the surrounding population.

Forced migration

Painting showing Circassians trying to run away from the killers.

Also see: Forced migration

As many as 1 to 1.5 million Circassians were forced to run away from their homes; only around half of them survived, according to most sources.

Most Circassians who were not killed in the genocide went to the Ottoman Empire. According to Ottoman archives, by 1879, over a million people had migrated to the Ottoman Empire. (However, nearly half died on Ottoman shores from diseases.) If these numbers are correct, the Circassian genocide would be the largest genocide of the 19th century.

A small number of Circassians remained in the Russian Empire. Records disagree on how many people still lived in Russia after the genocide:

Recognition

Circassian survivors in Turkey commemorating the genocide

As of 2023, Georgia is the only country to recognize that the Circassian genocide occurred. Russia actively denies the Circassian genocide, and classifies the events as a migration (Russian: Черкесское мухаджирство, lit. 'Circassian migrationism').

Circassians commemorate 21 May (the day the genocide began) every year as the Circassian Day of Mourning. On the other hand, some Russian nationalists in the Caucasus region celebrate the day yearly as a "holy conquest day".

On 21 May, Circassians all over the world protested against the Russian government, especially in cities with large Circassian populations (such as Kayseri and Amman) and in other large cities like Istanbul.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3
    • Shenfield, Stephen D. (August 1999). "The Circassians: A forgotten genocide?". The Massacre in History (PDF). Retrieved November 16, 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
    • Richmond, Walter (Summer 2014). "The Circassian Genocide". Slavic Review. 73 (2): 393–395. doi:10.5612/slavicreview.73.2.393. Retrieved November 16, 2024.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
    • Catic, Maja (December 22, 2015). "Circassians and the Politics of Genocide Recognition". Europe-Asia Studies. 67 (10: Family, Health, and Reproduction in Russia and Ukraine—in the Intersection Between the Private and the Public): 1685–1708. doi:10.1080/09668136.2015.1102202. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Remembering the Circassian Deportations and Massacres". TCA. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013.
  3. ↑ Grassi 2018; Shenfield 1999, p. 154
  4. ↑ Richmond 2013, p. 132: "If we assume that Berzhe's middle figure of 50,000 was close to the number who survived to settle in the lowlands, then between 95 percent and 97 percent of all Circassians were killed outright, died during Evdokimov's campaign, or were deported."
  5. ↑ Rosser-Owen 2007, p. 16: "with one estimate showing that the indigenous population of the entire north-western Caucasus was reduced by a massive 94 percent."
  6. ↑ Karpat 1985, p. 69.
  7. ↑ Levene, Mark (2005). "6: Declining Powers". Genocide in the Age of the Nation-State Volume II: The Rise of the West and the Coming of Genocide. 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010. pp. 300, 301. ISBN 1-84511-057-9.
  8. ↑ Richmond 2013, back cover.
  9. 1 2 Neumann, Karl Friedrich (1840). Russland und die Tscherkessen [Russia and the Circassians] (in German).
  10. ↑ Leitzinger, Antero (October 2000). "The Circassian Genocide". The Eurasian Politician. No. 2. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  11. ↑ Abzakh, Edris (1996). "Circassian History". University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
  12. ↑ "The Circassian Genocide" Archived 2020-07-03 at the Wayback Machine. Unrepresented Nations and People Organisation (UNPO) (14 December 2004). Retrieved April 4, 2007
  13. ↑ Richmond 2013, p. 132.
  14. ↑ Barry, Ellen (20 May 2011). "Georgia Says Russia Committed Genocide in 19th Century". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  15. ↑ "Georgia Recognizes Russian 'Genocide' Of Ethnic Circassians". Radio Free Europe. May 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  16. ↑ "Georgia Recognizes Circassian Genocide". Eurasianet. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Bodio, Tadeusz; Sieradzan, Przemysław J. (2012-12-15). "Źródła nacjonalizmu czerkieskiego i jego konsekwencje polityczne" [Sources of Circassian nationalism and its political consequences]. Środkowoeuropejskie Studia Polityczne (in Polish) (4): 47–74. doi:10.14746/ssp.2012.4.03. ISSN 1731-7517.
  18. ↑ "145th Anniversary of the Circassian Genocide and the Sochi Olympics Issue". Reuters. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  19. ↑ "Çerkesler soykırım yürüyüşü yaptı" [Circassians marched on genocide]. Denizhaber (in Turkish). May 2016. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  20. ↑ Kayseri, DHA (May 2017). "Çerkeslerden anma yürüyüşü" [Circassian memorial march]. Sözcü (in Turkish). Retrieved 15 January 2021.