Arşiv Belgelerinde Van Ermeni İsyanları

For Armenians, Van has other features other than its geographical location that are conducive to rebellion and revolution. There was an Armenian minority that made up nearly 20% of the population. Armenians own the large and fertile lands of Van. They are richer than the Turks, they control the trade in the city. Since some of the Turks cultivate in infertile lands, they are poorer than the Armenian villagers. In terms of economy and trade, the living conditions of the Armenians were much better than the living conditions of the Muslim population. Until recently, especially before the beginning of the Armenian committee, social and economic relations between the two peoples were in good condition. Everyone was working as hard as they could, and good neighborly relations were maintained. If we look at the situation before the Armenian events started in Van, there was an atmosphere of complete peace in every aspect. No significant incident occurred from either the Turks or the Armenians that disrupted social peace.

Apart from small-scale disagreements from time to time, there were no large-scale national conflicts between Turks and Armenians in Van. This situation began to deteriorate with the intervention of foreign powers. Armenians who integrated with the Turks and did not want to break away from them were brutally massacred. Armenian citizens, who were called collaborators, including old, young, women and children, were massacred. Because the Armenian committee members saw these people as a major obstacle to their cause. Indeed, they did not want a fight and were loyal to the Turkish State. But they could not offer much resistance because they were defenseless. Security forces had difficulty protecting them. Because it was an internal issue, the perpetrators could not be caught. Political murders were blamed on state forces. After resolving their internal issues among themselves in this way, the Armenian committee members began to direct their attacks against state forces. Despite this situation, the Armenian committees found it beneficial for themselves to spread the news that there was always disorder in the region. Because they hoped that in this way they would achieve their goal and achieve autonomy by ensuring the foreign intervention they had been pursuing for years. This situation caused a circle of blood and fire to arise in Van, causing thousands of innocent people to die, those who did not die to fall into misery, and ultimately the migration. I consider it my duty to bow down with respect to the memory of these unfortunate people.
(From the Promotional Bulletin)



Number of Pages: 585

Year of Printing: 2016


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Gece Kitaplığ

First Publication Year: 2016

Number of Pages: 585

Language: Turkish