1. Genocide In the Shadow of War
The Armenians
Genocide In the Shadow of War

2. Armenia: Nation In Flux
Ancient Armenia
Crossroads
Buffer State
Christian in 301 CE
Unique alphabet
Medieval Armenia
Byzantine 1045
Turkish conquest 1370s
Ottoman Turks 1400s
Ottoman Armenia
Armenian Millet
Armenian Church leads
Autonomy
High taxes, but loyal…

3. Armenia: Geopolitical Issues
Napoleonic War (Egypt) >Tanzimat Era Reform +
Greeks + Balkans fight for independence
Crimean War realities =
Ottoman retrenchment & survival mindset
Reform or repress? OE chooses repression

4. Armenian Response to Repression
Armenian Self-Defense Movement:
Union of Salvation 1872
Black Cross Society 1878
Armenakan Party 1885
OE views these as threats to OE rule…

5. OE >> Young Turk Rule
Hamidian Massacres 1890s = Xenophobia
Young Turks 1889 >> CUP >> 1908 Coup
Liberalism v. Nationalism
Adana Massacres 1909
Balkan Wars ( ) > Enver Pasha Coup
Young Turk Dictatorship
Pan-Turkism + Turkification
>> Anti-Armenianism

6. WWI >> Genocide Armenian leaders appeal for OE neutrality
OE joins Central Powers… geopolitics!
Armenians join OE army
OE fails in Sarkamish Campaign 12/1914
Scapegoat? Armenian collusion w/ R?
“Special Organization” formed…
Armenian soldiers disarmed…. 2/1915

7. Genocide: Systematic & Intentional Extermination
Armenian removed from civil service 3/1915
Special Organization battalions kill civilians
Deportation, Starvation, Murder 3/1915
Intellectuals, leaders arrested, imprisoned, murdered 4/1915
Deportation Committee > Death marches & Mass executions 5/1915
Failed resistance in Van, etc 5-10/1915

8. Genocide Q
Genocide = intentional and systematic plan to execute and eliminate an entire people group
Geopolitics + Jingoism + Xenophobia =
Recipe for genocide
Given the news and situation…
What, if any, global response should have occurred? Justify.