Armenians and the Allies in Cilicia, 1914-1923

Author
Guclu, Yucel
Publisher
The University of Utah Press
Year
2010
Language
English
Call Number
DR435.A7 G83 2010
ISBN
9780874809565
Reference Only
Off
Number of Pages
281
Library of Congress Subject Heading
Armenians -- Turkey -- Cilicia -- History -- 20th century
Library of Congress Subject Heading 2
World War, 1914-1918 -- Territorial questions -- Turkey
Abstract

In the midst of World War I, the Ottoman government forcibly removed many of its Armenian citizens from their eastern Anatolian lands. While recognizing the controversy and tragedy of the events of 1915 that led to the death of hundreds of thousands of Armenians, author Yücel Güçlü refrains from accepting the genocidal label that other scholars have assigned the episode. Güçlü bases his claim largely on evidence from state and military archives in Turkey, Britain, France, and the United States that look specifically into the Ottoman version of history, placing the whole question of forced population displacements in a wider and more nuanced perspective than that in which it is usually depicted. According to the author, revolutionary Armenian forces were threatening the Ottoman Empire from within as it was simultaneously threatened by external forces. Armenians were also actively involved with Allied forces throughout World War I. In response, the Ottoman government ordered the movement of the Armenian population away from protected and sensitive war zones. The actions taken by the Ottoman Empire to control the Armenian population were those of relocation, not extermination. Working to explain why the Armenian conflict emerged and how it was eventually resolved, this book discusses the Armenian revolutionary and separatist movements, Turkish measures of self defense, and Allied schemes regarding the region during the period. It places special emphasis on the influence of Allied forces on the actions of Armenians in Cilicia. Author: Yücel Güçlü