FREE ESSAY ON ARMENIANS

ARMENIANS

Through my research, of the websites and book listed in the works cited section of my
paper, I have found that the Young Turks have been an important part of Turkish and
Armenian history. The young Turks were a coalition of reform groups that led a
revolutionary movement against the Ottoman Empires Sultan Abdulhamid the Second. They
opposed him because of the absolute power he had, and because they wanted to eliminate
foreign influence, and to restore Turkish pride.
The Young Turks movement was started in the Imperial Medical college of Istanbul. In
Istanbul it spread to other colleges including the military institutes. When Abdulhamid
the Second, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, learned of their plot against him he exiled
the students. The Young Turks fled to various cities in Europe. It was here that the
preparations for their revolution took place.
An important Young Turk was Ahmed Riza, who was part of the Committee of Union and
Progress, which was an influential Young Turk organization. He pushed for a strong
central government and he was against all foreign influence. When the Young Turks came to
power these ideas were important in their policies.
The revolution occurred when discontented members of the Ottomans Army, the Committee of
Union and Progress, and another group called the League of Private Initiative and
Decentralization all agreed to work together. The revolt took place in 1908. Ahmed Niyazi
a member of the Third Army Corps led a small revolt against provincial authorities; other
revolutionaries holding revolts that were inspired by Ahmed's followed this. Since the
Sultan could not rely on his military to support him he recalled parliament and in 1913
the triumvirate of Talat Pasa, Ahmed Cemel Pasa, and Enver Pasa gained power. Under the
triumvirate the Young Turks major reforms took place. Their reforms led to a more
centralized government; they promoted industrialization, and improved education.
The Young Turks lost power in 1918. Hoping to gain political power they joined in on
World War One on the side of the Germans, and the Central Powers. They did this thinking
that Germany had a superior army. When the Young Turks realized defeat was coming they
resigned their power and the Ottomans ended up signing the Armistice of Mudros ending
Turkey's involvement in the war.
The Young Turks are important to Armenian history because of the treatment the Armenians
received under their control. The Young Turks preached cooperation between themselves and
the minority groups in Turkey before they gained power. When the Young Turks took control
they did not follow their ideas of cooperation. In 1913 at the city of Adana 30,000
Armenians were killed. When World War One broke out the Young Turks looked at it as a
perfect opportunity to dispose of, what they looked at as a problem, Armenians. The
government intentionally tried to eliminate the Armenians. Armenian leaders were killed.
The rest were forced to relocate into the deserts of Syria, Arabia, and Mesopotamia.
During these marches many Armenians were flogged to death, burned, bayoneted, buried
alive in pits, drowned in rivers, beheaded, raped, abducted into harems, or just simply
died of exhaustion. This genocide, conducted by the Young Turks, took the lives of 1.5
million Armenians. 
Bibliography
Works Cited
Balakian, Peter. Black Dog of Fate. New York: Broadway Books, 1997.
CedarLand. 20 Febuary 2001. The Armenian Genocide. 20 Febuary 2001
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Parliament/2587/armenia.html
Encyclopedia Britanica. 20 February 2001. Young Turks. 20 February 2001