system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: The Armenian Genocide.

This is a hot topic, feel free to post any questions here.
gpt
The Armenian Genocide was the systematic killing of approx. 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire. It occured in 2 stages. First all able-bodied men were either shot, forced into front line military service (remember 1915 was during WWI) or worked to death in forced labour camps. Second, women, children and the elderly were marched into the Syrian Desert and denied food and water until they died.

Turkey don't recognise the genocide because when the Republic of Turkey was formed after the war they claimed to be the 'Continuing state of the Ottoman Empire' even though the Sultanate had been abolished. This essentially means that they take proxy responsibility for the actions of the Ottoman government during the war and so they would be admitting that the killed 1.5 million of their own people. This is obviously really embarrassing for them.