Nationalism and WWI
How did many young European men feel at the beginning of WWI?
Excited and ready to go to war.
How many died in the Armenian genocide?
Up to 1.5 million died from starvation and execution
What roles were black soldiers forced into during WWI?
Mostly laborers. Rarely were able to fight with weapons.
How old was Yepraksia Gevorgyan when she escaped the deportation of Armenians by the Turks?
Yepraksia Gevorgyan was 8 years old when she escaped the deportation of Armenians.
What three areas mentioned in the excerpt resisted the Armenian deportation?
The two areas that defended against the Armenian deportation by the Turks were Van, Urfa and, Musa Dagh.
Over time, how did many of the European soldier journals change throughout WWI?
They changed to be frightened accounts of the war with many soldiers wanting to go home.
What lead to the genocide?
The decline of the Ottoman Empire and long-term ethnic and religious tensions which intensified with the start of World War I.
Why didn't the British want Black soldiers?
It went against their white supremacy values and the British were scared the black soldiers would come back and fight for freedom.
True or False? The Armenian leaders were aware that the Turks were arresting them to annihilate the Armenian population a few months prior to the 1915 deportations, and they tried resisting arrest in order to prevent the torture, mass deportation, and genocide of the Armenian people.
False. The Armenian leaders and general population were unaware of the true motive behind why the Turks were arresting the Armenian leaders. The Armenians believed that the detained were going to police stations/government buildings to answer some questions. Most who were detained did not protest their arrests and were compliant with the police.
What army caused the Turks to retreat from their battle with the resistance of Van?
The Turks were forced to retreat their month-long battle after the Russian army returned after a temporary retreat and engaged the Turkish army.
At the beginning of the war, did many people believe the fighting would last a long time, or it would be resolved very quickly?
The fighting would be resolved very quickly.
Where did the Ottoman leaders deport the Armenians?
Over a Million Armenians were deported from what is now modern Turkey to the killing fields of Deir ez-Zor in Syria.
True or False? African Americans were not drafted to serve in the first world war.
False.
What did the Turks use to beat the Armenians with to keep them in line as they marched to Syria as recalled by Moveses Haneshyan?
The Turks used sticks and whips to beat the Armenians as they marched to Syria.
How much of the population of Van involved in the resistance against the Turks? What did the Population do according to Shavarsh?
The entire population of Van was involved in fighting against the Turks. The Armenians in Van would fight at close/long range against the Turks with very limited ammunition and they would even pull Turks they killed to them with a pole to take their ammo. Even the children of Van helped the resistance by going from house to house collecting brass candles to make bullets and learned how to make gunpowder.
How were the fighting conditions during WWI? Where they good or bad? Please be descriptive.
The fighting conditions were horrible, living in trenches, corpse everywhere, constant gunfire and fear of the enemy, and disease was common.
What were the relationships between Turks and Armenians like before 1915?
They got along pretty well for the most part. Some Armenians were family friends with Turks and attended their weddings.
What were the black soldiers promised for their contributes to the war?
They were promised more equality and opportunity at home.
What does Yepraksia Gevorgyan recall experiencing/witnessing when she was being imprisoned/deported by the Turks?
She recalls walking barefoot, naked, starving, and thirsty during the deportation of the Armenians. She also witnessed the Turks pillaging, raping, and murdering Armenians during her imprisonment/deportation.
Why do you think Russia helped the Armenian resistance fight the Turks? Explain your reasoning.
The Russians helped the Armenians in order to defeat their geopolitical rival in the Turks (Ottomans), also to spread their religious views and gain territory from the Turks. They also may have been trying to create political ties with the Armenians, etc.
After World War 1, did President Wilson truly believe there would ever be another World War like event taking place?
No.
How do the the turks view the genocide to this day?
They denied it ever happened and silence those who disagree.
Who was believed to be the only black pilot to serve in the British air force.
Robbie Clarke.
What was the method of the torture known as Bastinado as described by a survivor of Sivas, and what were some other methods of torture used on Armenians?
The Bastinado torture method is when the Turks would raise and tie the Armenian’s feet above their body, beat their feet until they bled, and would boil eggs that they would put them in the torture victims armpits. Other torture techniques included pulling out beards, fingernails, and teeth, branding with a hot horseshoe, and tying prisoners upside down by one foot and beating them back and forth.
According to Megerdich, why did the Turks start attacking the general population of Urfa, and what did the less able-bodied Armenians do to help the resistance?
The Turks started to attack the population of Urfa because Turkish Gendarmes were shot during their search for young Armenian men. The less able-bodied Armenians would cook food for those who were fighting, and elderly women would pray “Lord have mercy” over and over again for the Armenians who were fighting the Turks.