| The Armenian massacres in Turkey started in the | | | | the Armenians. This intervention was resented by |
| 19th century and continued well after the | | | | the Ottoman authorities. By 1915, Armenian calls |
| Armenian genocide of 1915 in which some | | | | for autonomy were deemed a danger to the |
| 600,000 Armenians perished. The Armenians | | | | disintegrating realm, now at war with Russia. |
| were also raided by Kurdish tribesmen on a | | | | When the first world war broke, Turkey allied |
| regular basis. An Ottoman military tribunal, | | | | itself with the Germans. All Armenian men aged |
| convened between 1919-21, even convicted for | | | | 20-45 were conscripted to the army as soldiers, |
| the crimes members of the administration of the | | | | soon to be disarmed and serve as pack animals |
| Young Turks, including cabinet ministers. | | | | or in menial jobs. When Russian Armenians |
| Many of the perpetrators fled the country only to | | | | recruited Turkish Armenians for the anti-Turkish |
| return, triumphant, after the establishment of | | | | Russian Army of the Caucasus, in April 1915, the |
| modern Turkey in 1923. The Turkish government | | | | elite of the Armenian community was arrested |
| today denies that an organized, premeditated | | | | and executed. Between May and June 1915 the |
| genocide ever took place and pegs the number of | | | | Armenian population was deported to |
| Armenian fatalities at 200-300,000 at the most. | | | | Mesopotamia. The deportation followed mass |
| Towards the end of the 19th century, the | | | | executions. |
| Armenians formed guerrilla movements in eastern | | | | Many more died from starvation, exposure, |
| Van (the Armenakans, in 1885) and in Russia. | | | | dehydration, abuse and outright torture. The |
| Radical nationalist parties were established by | | | | survivors - less than 300,000 - were subjected to |
| Russian-Armenian emigrants in 1887 (Hunchak or | | | | additional slaughter in Syria. People were beaten |
| Henchak, "The Bell") and in 1890 in Georgia | | | | with blunt instruments, burnt alive or drowned |
| (Dashnak or Dashnaktsutyun, "Union"). Mass | | | | forcibly. The massacres were carried out by |
| demonstrations in the Turkish capital (in 1890 and | | | | military officers with dictatorial powers, aided by |
| 1895) and armed uprisings followed (in 1894-5). | | | | criminals especially released from jails and assigned |
| The Dashnaks even invaded Turkey from Russia | | | | to their gruesome duties. |
| in 1896 - a demonstrative act which resulted in | | | | Armed resistance in Van province, Mussa Dagh, |
| the slaughter of 50,000 Armenians. | | | | Shabin Karahisar and Urfa - as well as setbacks in |
| The suppression of these revolts claimed 200,000 | | | | the war - prevented the Turks for deporting the |
| Armenian lives. In 1909, in Adana, more than | | | | urban Armenian population in the Ottoman |
| 23,000 Armenians were massacred as the | | | | Empire's major cities. Today there are less than |
| warships of the Great Powers stood idly by. In | | | | 60,000 Armenians in Turkey compared to at least |
| 1912-3 the Great Powers, led by Russia, | | | | 1.8 million in 1910. |
| pressured Turkey to cease its mistreatment of | | | | |