A shameful act : the Armenian genocide and the question of Turkish responsibility / Taner Akçam ; [translated by Paul Bessemer

**"The definitive account of the organized destruction of the Ottoman Armenians . . . No future discussion of the history will be able to ignore this brilliant book."―Orhan Pamuk** Beginning in 1915, under the cover of a world war, some one million Armenians were killed through starvation, forced marches, and mass acts of slaughter. Although Armenians and the judgment of history have long held the Ottoman powers responsible for genocide, modern Turkey has rejected any such claim. Now, in a pioneering work of excavation, Turkish historian Taner Akçam has made unprecedented use of Ottoman and other sources―military and court records, parliamentary minutes, letters, and eyewitness reports―to produce a scrupulous account of Ottoman culpability. Tracing the causes of the mass destruction, Akçam reconstructs its planning and implementation by the departments of state, the military, and the ruling political parties, and he probes the multiple failures to bring the perpetrators to justice. As the topic of the Armenian genocide provokes ever-greater passion and controversy around the world, Akçam's work has only become more important and relevant. Beyond its timeliness, however, __A Shameful Act__ is sure to take its lasting place as a classic and necessary work on the subject. A Study Of The Armenian Genocide Draws On Ottoman Sources, Including Parliamentary Minutes, Letters, Military And Court Records, And Eyewitness Accounts, To Lay Responsibility For The Event On Turkish Authorities, Revealing A Systematic Orchestration Of The Killings By The Military, Ruling Political Parties, And The Ottoman State. The Ottoman State And Its Non-muslim Populations -- The Union And Progress Era -- Turkish Nationalism -- What Led To The Decision For Genocide? -- The Decision And Its Aftermath -- The Question Of Punishing The Turk -- Ottoman Government Initiatives -- The Turkish National Movement's Position On The Genocide -- The Final Phase Of The Trials -- Why The Postwar Trials Failed. Taner Akçam ; Translated By Paul Bessemer. Originally Published In Turkey In 1999 Under The Title İnsan Hakları Ve Ermeni Sorunu : İttihat Ve Terakki'den Kurtuluş Savaşı'na--t.p. Verso. Paperback Issued 2007. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 378-464) And Index.