Armenian resistance (1914-1918)

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Armenian Resistance
Part of World War I
Conflicts of 1915 (red stars)
Location Central-East-South Anatolia Result Massive Casualties, some regions avoid deportations and an establishment of local provisional Armenian government (1915-1917)
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Armenian Militia of Armenakans (Ramkavars), Hnchakians (Social Democrat Hunchakian Party), and Dashnaktsutiun (Armenian Revolutionary Federation)

Armenian resistance is the military and political activities of the "Armenian militia" or (Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, Armenakan, Armenian Revolutionary Federation) against the Ottoman Empire during the World War I. Armenian resistance was developed under the shadow of Armenian Genocide.

[edit] Background

Defenders of the Urfa Resistance

Hnchakian, leaders The Twenty Martyrs

Resistance of Mourat and his comrades occurred at Sivas. Later Mourat lead the volunteers at Battle of Erzinjan. Later died in at the Battle of Baku^[1].

Armenian rebellions in the Ottoman Empire covers the resistance before Armenian Genocide. There are three perceptions of Armenian resistance activities during the World War I; the first perception is Armenian resistance to the order of deportations after the Tehcir Law, which deportations were perceived as the tool of Armenian Genocide. Resistance was also perceived the rightful activities of the patriots of the Armenian national liberation movement to defend their national freedom. Ottoman sources record the resistance as the insurgency against the Ottoman Empire with the goal to establish an Armenian national state within the boarders of the Empire developed by the Armenian Millitia, and coordinated by the Armenian national liberation movement.

[edit] The nature and Central task of resistance

Sassouni, a Tashnak, argues that the Ottoman Empire's fundamental aim was to resolve the Armenian question by massacring the Armenian people and the Armenian national liberation movement's achievement between 1908 to 1914 (what was named as pre-genocide period) was the preparation and organization of nation-wide armed resistance for the targets which were only forces against Armenian Revolutionary Federation.^[2]

"During Van resistance:" Military Council sent a manifesto to the Turkish people saying that the Armenians were fighting one man, Jedet, and not those who had been their neighbors in the past and would be in the future. Valis might come and go, but the two races must continue to live together and they hoped that after Jevdet went there might be peaceful and friendly relations with them.^[3]

[edit] Activities, 1914

• August-December-1914: Zeitun Resistance, Hunchaks of the city Zeitun had resisted to the Ottoman Military. The city of Zeitun was a seen of another armed conflict Zeitun Resistance (1895).

[edit] Activities, 1915

Seventy year old priest leading Armenians

During 1915 there were many small conflicts. However, in Vaspurakan there were approximately 185,000 Armenians and in the city of Van itself, there were around 30,000 Armenians, but more Armenians from surrounding villages joined them during the Ottoman offensive for the Van Resistance^[4]. The biggest achievement is the Armenian governing of the Administration for Western Armenia with the Aram of Van and keeping the Ottomans out with the Armenian volunteer units within the Russian Caucasus Army, as well as Armenian militia.

• March 25-1915: Zeitun Resistance, Hunchaks of the city Zeitun had second resistance.
• April 19,May 6-1915: Van Resistance, the initial armed resistance and lasted for a period of less than a month. In May, the Armenian battalions and Russian Caucuses Army entered the city and successfully drove the Ottoman army out of Van.^[4]
• May 27-1915: Urfa Resistance, the hundreds of Armenians were captured by Ottoman authorities in Urfa. At Urfa the Armenians were repulse the attacks of one division, but finally fell heroically under the fire of artillery, commanded by German officers. They destroyed all their property so that it would not fall into the hands of their enemies.
• June, 1915: The resistance of Mourat and his comrades occurred at Sivas. Mourat together with his companion, Sepouh, had fought at Sasoun, in 1904, and had taken part in the Armenian and Tartar clashes of 1905 and 1906 in the Caucasus. When deportations were ordered gendarmes were sent to capture Mourat. Mourat defended himself with his compatriots for a year and a half. In 1916, he moved to Samsun, with a sail-boat travaled to Russian port Batoum. He lead his volunteers to the Battle of Erzinjan. He died in the fighting at Battle of Baku^[1].
• June 15, 1915: The Twenty Martyrs
• July-August, 1915: Shabin-Karahisar Resistance Armenians resisted for a month current until Neshed Pasha leaved Sivas with three regiments and artillery to subdue.
• August 19, 1915: Battle of Van, The militia was in defense of the city of Van until the second time arrival of Russian army with Andranik Toros Ozanian.

[edit] Results

The result was the deaths of over a million Armenians in the empire during the highly controversial Armenian Genocide which followed.^[5]

[edit] Art & Culture

• (Armenian: Հարիսա): Armenian resistance has left a symbolic dish. The "Harissa (dish)" is generally served to commorate the Musa dagh resistance. Current practice renamed the dish as "hreesi".

[edit] See also

• Armenian Genocide

[edit] Footnotes