The Ottoman Empire Enters the First World War

The International Crisis of 1914

The First World War began in Europe in the summer of 1914 and rapidly expanded into a global conflict.

The Ottoman Empire entered the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary after Ottoman naval attacks on Russian ports in the Black Sea in late October 1914. Formal declarations of war followed in early November.

The decision placed the Ottoman Empire in direct conflict with Russia, Britain, France, and their allies.

The Caucasus became a major theater of military operations.

Eastern Anatolia, where large Armenian communities lived, was situated near the Ottoman-Russian frontier.

The Battle of Sarikamish

In late 1914 and early 1915, Ottoman forces under Enver Pasha launched a major offensive against the Russian army in the Caucasus.

The campaign culminated in a disastrous Ottoman defeat at Sarikamish.

Large numbers of Ottoman soldiers died from combat, exposure, exhaustion, and disease.

The defeat intensified the leadership's search for explanations and scapegoats.

Ottoman officials increasingly accused Armenians of assisting Russia, deserting military units, or threatening communications and supply lines.

Some Armenian volunteers fought with Russian forces, and Armenian revolutionary organizations engaged in armed activity in certain regions.

These facts must be understood within their proper historical context.

Armenians were divided between the Ottoman and Russian empires. Many Ottoman Armenian men served in the Ottoman armed forces, while Armenians in Russian territory served in or alongside Russian forces.

The actions of individual volunteers and armed organizations did not establish collective responsibility for an entire civilian population.

Nevertheless, the Ottoman leadership increasingly treated Armenian identity itself as evidence of potential disloyalty.

The Disarming of Armenian Soldiers

During the early months of 1915, Ottoman authorities disarmed many Armenian soldiers serving in the army.

Numerous Armenian servicemen were transferred to labor battalions.

These units performed physically demanding tasks such as road construction, transport, and other military support work.

Many Armenian soldiers in these formations were subsequently executed or died under severe conditions.

The removal of Armenian men from regular military service weakened the capacity of Armenian communities to defend themselves.

It also separated large numbers of military-age men from their families before the major deportation operations began.