How could the Ottoman Empire pick on Armenians for a genocide?

Question

seeing that it had never committed anything as such in its entire history of over 600 years. Why would an empire need to do that, while fighting against British, French, Russians, Greeks and many more at the same time (WW1) ? If it was because of any logical reason, why not earlier, when it had all the power and resources to do so? Why at the peak of its weakest time in the history, just a couple of years before it ceased to exist? What conflicts in the history of 600 years before 1915 can you name between the Ottoman Empire and Armenians that could build up to a genocide?
Hard to find an explaination isn´t it?

About Hamidiye, just read this link
www.armenianquestion.org/page.php?modul=Article&nid=980&op=read&rub=141 - 93k -
Or just type in hamidiye into Google.

I strongly recommend not to distort historical facts about Hamidiye. Armenian question is already beeing misused in the hands of politicians and
they don´t allow historians to speak.

Very clever Frank!
Your fable about kurdish situation in 100 years is what I call distortion and Illusion.

some answerers like "not fair" try to say this; while heading towards the inevitable crash with the iceberg, the capitain of the Titanic decided to get rid of all the rats on board.

Answer 1

This question leads us to the overwhelming answer which is Ottoman Empire is known as the Empire of Tolerance.
Armenians tried to take advantage of the worst time during the history of the empire. They were, therefore, transported into Syria. That is all!

To Frank : You should never underestimate us. Simply logic does not apply to international affairs. If you searched what Armenians want, you would not tell " they do not want money " Fortunately, Turks are not as " naive and stupid " as some fellow foreigners.
Furthermore, of course there were revolts, and Ottoman Empire put down the revolts by the use of military force against rebellions, " NOT AGAINST CIVILIANS ".

Hamidiye regiments were established for preventing the Armenian terrorism as Armenian terrorists attacked Turkish villages, and slaughtered innocent people.

Edit : To Frank,
If this is your definition of being slave, you must know everybody were slaves during that part of history. Did Turks has any privilege? Not at all.
International politics always change, but Turkey has never hesitated to do whatever has been needed being done. Whatever it takes, Turkey does it, and you must know that too.

Answer 2

I am Armenian and i have studied most of the genocide no i have not gone into MAJOR detail but i know enough to accurately answer this question. Armenians have been around since sometime in BC ( I dont know exact dates). There has always been some type of battle due to religion. Since Armenia was the first christian nation surrounded by muslims, helenic and other religions we were always this country that needed to be taken over and gotten rid of. When the turks came along they began fighting with us as well. Right from the start we were enemys. we had many battles and they attempted taking over our land several times. Armenia stood strong though. In the 1700s Western Armenia went under the control of the Ottaman Empire. No Armenians were not happy at all. They put extrem taxes on us (more than a turk had to pay). Even in the 1700s Armenians were fighting for freedom. Armenia has in the past been as big as Turkey and even bigger. Around the late 1800s Turkey had many issues with Armenia. They had a goal which was to kill every single armenian and get rid of them completely. They started attacking villages and cities. In 1890s the Armenians created a group that rebelled against the turks and is very patriotic. This group faught for freedom and justice. In 1915 the genocide had officially started. The exact day was april 24 1915. The turks came into the cities and took all the poets, writers, politicians, doctors and everyone with a title and slaughtered them. (there is a picture you can search online with a turkish soldier standing beside a pile of skulls). Then they started to kill all the men. The women and children did the desert walk( I dont know the name for this in English). Most people died in the dessert due to starvation. Women were rapped and children were taken away. This is the reason why alot of turks have turkish grandmothers. After this there is still a never ending story which still hasnt ended because every year on April 24 all armenians around the world go to the turkish embacy and protest to say "Its been # years and we still havemt forgotten". That is what I have learned. I say that the genoicde definetly happened because my grandmothers grandfather had been slaughtered and there was many people who had lived through this 20 years ago who gave us proof. The reason to the large communities in syria and lebannon was because those were the areas they could go to near their country.

Answer 3

It really shows how much you know of history of your country!
Its a very complex question and mixing everything together, a whole book should discuss the answer!
I know you can't find these kind of books in the most free republic of our world, Turkey. But these books study exactly your answer.

Istanbul and civilization of Ottoman empire (Bernard Lewis)
The Armenian Genocide (Esmaeel Raeen)
(Second one written by an Iranian writer)

sorry I couldn't type it all!

Answer 4

The problem is, the West is trying to judge history with respect to its own historical and cultural references.

Racism is a Western concept, which didn't have a place in Turkish or Ottoman history and the West cannot understand anti-racist Ottomans.

Annihilation is a Western concept and the West cannot understand the Ottomans which chose to let live instead of wipe out.

Assimilation is a Western concept and the West cannot accept the fact that different ethnic groups could live together.

Mainstrean Western understanding has given the word "culture" a specific meaning and doesnot understand culture beyond that. And it choses to denigrate what it doesnot understand.

The problem is, the last real empire that the West had was the Roman empire. Later so-called "empires" were only colonial formations, not real empires, and depended on exploitation and repression. Like İlber Ortaylı said, the last Roman type empire was the Ottoman empire.

You can't really expect the (declining) Western powers to understand and appreciate something that is really different from their understanding of politics? That's like Americans appreciating Martian culture and politics. :DDD

Answer 5

I just wanted to say this:
i have never understood why "west" called us barbars.
I mean what did they do different?
Let's assume that we were barbars,ok?
So what would you call these actions?

Gladiators (this is not barbaric?)
massacre of the protestants (st Barthelemov tragedy)
Death of Joan of Arc
Invention of guillotin (here in Lyon there is a very large and long street where they were doing the killings)
Vikings???
Crusades
Inquisition
Why do you think that Bretons, Normans etc... are part of France now. Do you know why and how they became a part? I can tell you if you want belive me there is a lot of force and pressure in this story.
Going to American continent and making huge massacres

I can continue with the examples if anyone wants. Now these people with all those actions above can be considered as "cultured" and "not barbar"???

As for today we see how cultured you all are. Some people who have never put a foot in Turkey, reading from on sided books or listening to the crazy politicians you can decide who is barbar who is cultured???

I will go out now and ask "one of the westerns" their knowledge about any subject and we will see what answer we'll get.
I remember waiting in doctor's waiting room and the little girl asking to the mother "where is Netherlands" and she said "oh i really don't know". this is how cultured you people are. But you know how to say big words. This is really one sided, single visioned and certainly not fair.

Answer 6

They didnt.

However are we not all forgetting the Genocide committed by the Armenians against Azerbaijan

Answer 7

Dear friend.

I dont know what they have been teaching you at school, but I am going to give you a little help.The Hamidian massacres also known as Armenian Massacres in 1894-1896 refers to the massacring of Armenians by the Ottomans, an estimated 100,000 to 300,000. [1] [2]

One of the most serious incidents occurred in Armenian populated parts of Anatolia. Although the Ottomans had prevented other revolts in the past, the harshest measures were directed against the Armenian community. They observed no distinction between the nationalist dissidents and the Armenian population at large, and massacred them with brutal force.[3] However, this occurred in the 1890s, at a time when the telegraph could spread news around the world and when the Christian European powers were vastly more powerful than the weakening Ottoman state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamidian_massacres



You already have a lot of answers about the Armenian Genocide, so I will provide you some independent websites which will prove that the Armenian Genocide is a fact. The last link is the most informative.



Source(s):
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/Genocid...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_ge...

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Con...

http://imia.cc.duth.gr/turkey/index.e.ht...

http://www.april24.net/

http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?ti...

http://www.theforgotten.org/site/intro_e...

Answer 8

Haha the answers by Armenians are very impressive indeed. "It was the best time for the Ottomans" so for 600 years Turks we're waiting to kill Armenians, not any of the 50 other nations but only the Armenians.

Wow I am stunned by your incredibly convincing and logical way of thinking.

Answer 9

they never did. Armenians are lying.

Answer 10

That is a very good question. Thanks for asking it. I am really curious about hearing the responses to it. Please keep your question around for a while:)


Alana, we are not American immigrants and we don't live in California so don't expect our English to be perfect.

Meanwhile, is this your best shot?

I am disappointed in your "wit"..

EDIT: Alana and the realist... You are jokes.. and you are not even funny.. That is really sad to witness your ignorance.

How old are you, BTW?

oh, I Think I will know then you start "picking on" me being stinky and ugly .. oh , don't forget, I am 38 as by today so you can start calling me old too :))