Bell and Banner: Armenian Revolutionaries at the End of the Ottoman Empire
Abstract : This study begins by addressing the political, social, and economic conditions in the Ottoman Empire in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in order to provide the historical context for the emergence of Armenian revolutionaries. It then details the attempts at reforming the empire by the Tanzimat and Hamidian regimes, the effect these reforms had on social and economic conditions for provincial Ottoman Armenians, and the steps those within the empire but especially among the Armenian diaspora took to adopt revolutionary tactics in attempting to alleviate conditions in the Armenian fatherland. Specific attention will be paid to the programs and activities of the major parties that have comprised the Armenian Revolutionary Movement: The Dashnaktsutiun, the Hunchaks, and the Armenakans. This study then reviews revolutionary activity amidst the rise of the Committee of Union and Progress, particularly the Dashnaktsutiun who were most active during this period, in an effort to complete a survey of Armenian revolutionary activity. Finally, it concludes with general observations regarding the process by which some Armenians, who had at one point been considered the Ottoman Empire's loyal millet, decided to arm themselves first in self-defense in pursuit of autonomy and then to engage in terrorism as an acceptable tactic in carrying out their strategy.
Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire 1300-1923
The Ottoman chronicles recount that the first sultan, Osman, dreamt of the dynasty he would found -- a tree, fully-formed, emerged from his navel, symbolising the vigour of his successors and the extent of their domains. This is the first book to bring the full story of the Ottoman dynasty -- and its empire and peoples -- to a broader readership.Osman's descendants combined the resourcefulness of their nomadic origins with the imperial world-view of conquered Byzantium. The result was a multi-ethnic state that for six centuries held sway over territories stretching -- at their greatest -- from Hungary to the Persian Gulf, and from North Africa to the Caucasus. The Ottoman path to modernity was every bit as complex as those of the Habsburgs or Romanovs.Understanding the realization of Osman's vision over the many centuries when the Ottoman Empire controlled the centre of the globe is essential for anyone who seeks to understand the modern world.
"Pursuing the Just Cause of Their People": A Study of Contemporary Armenian Terrorism
The Armenian terrorist movement is the subject of Michael Gunter's analysis. Beginning with an introductory overview of recent Armenian terrorist attacks against Turkish diplomats and property and perceived allies of the Turks, he then examines historical motivations and goals of the Armenian terrorist movement. Although the present wave of Armenian terrorism began only in the 1970s, Gunter traces its origins to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He outlines the so-called Armenian question which resulted in deportations and massacres of the Armenians by Turks during World War I, and questions where responsibility for the actions and reactions of the period lie. Gunter then focuses on the beginnings of the contemporary Armenian terrorism, placing special emphasis on the catalytic influence of the Lebanese Civil War and the Palestinean movement. Gunter analyzes the two main Armenian terrorist organizations in terms of tactics, transnational connections, and the question of Turkish harassment and counterterror. Finally, he draws conclusions and makes recommendations for beginning a process which might eventually terminate this dangerous and destructive state of affairs.