In this series, we are discussing the events of World War I that ultimately led to the partition of the Ottoman Empire.
This is episode 5-16: Turks and Armenians.
Before we get into the episode, let’s do a brief recap of where we are so far:
- The Ottomans were doing better than expected in the early stages of the war.
- And with the addition of Bulgaria, the Central Powers now formed a single, unbroken block from Germany to Istanbul.
- Growing desperate, the British began working on Kitchener’s plan for an Arab Caliphate, and opened negotiations with Sharif Hussein of Mecca.
- While dealing with Sharif Hussein, the British and French made a secret agreement with each other about how they would split up the Middle East
- Towards the end of these talks, Mark Sykes realized it would be in Britain’s best interest to curry favor with the growing Zionist movement
And with that, let’s begin our discussion of the Armenian Atrocity of 1915.
First, let’s acknowledge that this is a sensitive topic and it is difficult to discuss without seeming biased.
Those who are predisposed to sympathize with the Armenians, may think we’re being too lenient on the Ottomans. And those who sympathize with the Ottomans, may think we’re leaving out key details.
All I can do is assure you that I’m trying to be as impartial as possible when covering such a complicated topic in just a few minutes.
Let’s begin with some background.
A Brief History of Ottoman-Armenian Relations
Armenia was once an independent kingdom known as the kingdom of Armenia. The two primary groups within the Kingdom of Armenia were the Christian Armenians and the Muslim Kurds.