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RELATIONS
DURING WORLD WAR I
Ottoman Empire went into war against Britain, France and Russia
on November 1, 1914 and Armenian committees considered this
as a great opportunity. The Armenians formed voluntary troops
and joined the Russian forces. They attacked Eastern Anatolia
together with the Russian expeditionary forces. Furthermore,
new rebellions were provoked in various parts of Anatolia,
Ottoman forces were stabbed in the back, and civil Turks were
massacred. The Armenians’ targets were not only the Turks
but also the Byzantine Greeks around Trabzon and Jews around
Hakkari.
Tashnaqsutyun committee was gathered in Erzurum in June 1914
just before the Ottoman Empire began to fight and it took
the following decisions:
“Tashnaqsutyun Congress takes into account economic, social
and administrative policies contrasting and followed by the
government of Party of Union and Progress against Christian
factors, and especially Armenians and its deceptive activities
about oppression and reforms. So, it decided to remain as
an opponent to the party, to criticize party’s political program,
to struggle severely against itself and its organization.”
Turkish Armenians living in Marseilles published a declaration
at the end of the meeting held on August 5, 1914, when Ottoman
Empire declared mobilization just before it went into war.
Several statements from the aforementioned declaration which
was published in various newspapers were as follows:
“Russian Armenians will fulfil their duties in order to
take revenge of the abuse against our brothers’ corpses by
taking place on the side of Moscow armies. We, Armenians under
the tyranny of Turks, shouldn’t point any of our arms to
France, which is our second homeland, and to its allies and
friends.
Armenians, Turkey calls you to arms without telling you
who the enemy is; to enlist voluntarily in the French army
and its allies, in order to help the defeat of Wilhelm II’s
army whose railways passed over the corpses of 300.000 of
our brothers.”
We can easily learn from any sources that Armenians cooperated
with Russians when the war broke out.
On this subject Philips Price said that:
“... when the war broke out, Armenians in that region (Eastern
towns) contacted with Russian authorities in the Caucasus
secretly, and volunteers from Turkish towns were begun to
join the Russian forces by the help of an underground organization.”
Rafael de Nogales wrote:
“Garo Pasdermichan (Pastirmaciyan), deputy of Erzurum,
passed across the border to join the Russian Army with almost
all the Armenian Officials and soldiers the Third Army. After
a short while, he returned with the Russian Forces, burned
down the Turkish villages, killed violently all the innocent
Muslims whom he caught. The measure taken by the Ottoman authorities
was to disarm the Armenian soldiers and gendarmes still the
army, perhaps they had not has the opportunity to escape,
and to transfer them to labor battalions to work in road construction
and in equipment transportation.
Clair Price wrote:
“ In compliance with the 1908 Constitution, the Government
of Enver Pasha had the right to call Armenians to arms together
with Turks who were at the right age for military service.
However, they immediately began to resist with arms against
authorities especially in Zeytun. Along the Eastern borders,
Armenians began to escape and join Russian armies. The Government
of Enver suspected the loyalty of the rest and transferred
them to working battalions.”
The Ottoman Government declared mobilization on August 3.
The Armenians of Zeytun refused to stay under the Turkish
flag, so they formed Zeytun Commando Regiment under
the control of their own officials and wanted to protect their
region themselves. But naturally their demand was refused
and hence they actually rebelled on August 30. At the end
of the pursuit approximately 60 rebels were caught with their
arms and peace was established for a short time, but in December
people of Zeytun began to attack administrative officers and
gendarme again.
In May 1915, Rsussian forces advanced in Eastern Anatolia.
English and French forces attacked Çanakkale and in the south,
the channel operation was in progress. The domestic situation
of the country was as explained. In Zeytun, Van and Mus rebellions
broke out, the rebellion in Van led to Rusian occupation,
and meanwhile the revolts of Zeytun and Mus were going on.
Every corner of the country was full of deserters, every corner
was exposed to attacks of gangs. As all adult Turks were in
the army, the country was left to Armenians. The State was
trying to deal with those rebellions while it was also fighting
on the fronts. Under those circumstances the Ottoman Empire
had to take the decision of relocation of the rebellious Armenians.
(1)
There was another decision taken during the war related to
Armenians in Turkey, which actually concerned the Patriarchate.
With a new regulation published in Takvim-i Vekayi
on August 10, 1916, the relations of Armenian churches in
Turkey with Ecmiyazin were stopped completely. Sis and Akdamar
Catholicoses were united, the center of Catholicosism was
moved to Jerusalem. Istanbul Patriarchate participated in
that Catholicosism. It was also decided that the Istanbul
Patriarch can only be contacted through sect administration.
Moreover, the new regulation established new rules for the
election of Patriarchs and the formation of Patriarch Assemblies.
(2)
REFERENCE:
1)
Gürün, Kamuran, Ermeni Dosyasý, TTK Basýmevi, Ankara, sh.
193- 209
2) Gürün, a.g.e., sh. 229
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