The Events of 1915 and Overlooked Details of Turkish Thesis

Year 2020, Issue: 68, 471 - 500, 31.05.2020

Armağan Örki Sinem Yüksel Çendek

https://doi.org/10.14222/Turkiyat4313

Abstract

27 Mayıs 1915 tarihinde kabul edilen ve 1 Haziran 1915 yılında uygulanmaya başlanan Sevk ve İskan Kanunu (Tehcir Kanunu), Osmanlı Devleti’nin gerileme dönemi ile Birinci Dünya Savaşı sırasında özellikle Doğu Anadolu Bölgesinde ortaya çıkan Ermeni ayaklanmalarına yönelik bir tedbir olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Ermenilerin Osmanlı Devleti aleyhine dönemin büyük devletlerince kullanılmaları ise 1700’lü yıllara kadar geriye gitmektedir. Ermenilerin desteklenmesinin arkasında her bir devletin kendi çıkarları olmasının yanı sıra, devletin parçalanma döneminde azınlıkların kendi devletlerini kurma arzuları da ön plana çıkmıştır. Ermeni tehciri ile ilgili olarak ortaya atılan Ermeni tezlerinin karşısında Türk tezinin Türkçe yazına aktarılmış; ancak İngilizce yazında çok fazla yer bulamamış olmasından kaynaklı olarak çalışmanın amacı, 1915 olayları ile ilgili Türk tezinin de anlaşılmasına aracılık etmektir. Bu amaç çerçevesinde, Türk kamuoyu haricinde kabul görmeyen ya da daha kötüsü, hiç anılmayan ayrıntıların derlenmesine odaklanılmıştır. Ermeni tezini kabul eden ve Türk tezini görmezden gelen çevrelerin, ortaya konulan birtakım ayrıntılarla dikkatlerini çekmek de çalışmanın ikincil amacını oluşturmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, çalışmada ikincil kaynaklardan yararlanılarak bir derleme hazırlanmış, öncelikle Ermenilerin ne zamandan itibaren sorun çıkarmaya başladıklarına, Osmanlı Devleti’nde toplumsal yapı ile milliyetçiliğe, Birinci Dünya Savaşı sırasında yaşanılanlara değinilmiştir. Bununla birlikte, Ermenilerin geçmişte ve sözde soykırımın da günümüzde nasıl bir dış politika aracı olarak kullanıldığı vurgulanmıştır.

Keywords

1915 Olayları, Tehcir Kanunu, Türk tezi

1915 Olayları ve Türk Tezinin Gözden Kaçan Ayrıntıları

Abstract

The Relocation and Resettlement Law (the Tehcir Law), which was adopted on May 27, 1915 and started to be implemented on June 1, 1915, was considered as a precaution for the Armenian uprisings that emerged especially in the Eastern Anatolia Region during the decline of the Ottoman State and the First World War. The use of Armenians against the Ottoman State by the Great States of the period goes back to the 1700s. In addition to the fact that each state had its own interests behind the support of the Armenians, the desire of the minorities to establish their own state came to the fore during the fragmentation of the State. In the face of the Armenian theses put forward regarding the Armenian deportation, the Turkish thesis was located into Turkish literature; however, it has not found much place in the English literature. On account of this, the purpose of the study is to mediate the understanding of the Turkish thesis about the events of 1915. For this purpose, the focus is on compiling details that are not accepted, or worse, never mentioned, outside the Turkish public opinion. The secondary purpose of the study is to draw the attention of the circles that accept the Armenian thesis and ignore the Turkish thesis with some details. In this context, in the study, a compilation was prepared by making use of secondary sources, first of all, the time the Armenians started to create problems, the social structure and nationalism in the Ottoman State, and the experiences during the First World War were handled. Additionally, it has been emphasized that how the Armenians in the past and the so-called genocide in the present have been used as a foreign policy tool.

Keywords

The Events of 1915, The Relocation and Resettlement Law, Turkish thesis

References

• Abdurrahmanlı, E. (2019). How the ASALA Terrorist Organization Emerged and the Purpose of the Terrorist Activities, International Journal of Social Sciences, 2(1), 60-73.
• Akbulut, İ. (1995). Türk Tarihinde Ermeniler, Ankara University SBF Journal, 50:1, 29-41.
• Akşin, S. (2015). A General Appraisal of the Armenian Issue, Armenian Studies, Number: 50, 87-106.
• Alp, İ. (2009). The Historical Invalidity of the Armenian Claims, Trakya University Journal of Social Sciences, 11(1), 1-30.
• Aslan, T. (2011). Armenian Migration from İncesu Village of Kayseri to Aksaray During 1915 Relocation, Armenian Studies, Number: 39, 143-162.
• Aslan, T. (2018). Activities of Armenian Catholic Priests in Hungary and Conributions of Hungarian Journalist Author Dr. Attila Von Orbok to Turkish - Hungarian Friendship, Armenian Studies, Number: 59, 65-86.
• Avşin Güneş, G. (2015). The View of Ottoman State to Nonmuslims and Millet System in the Classical Age, The Journal of Social and Cultural Studies, 1(2), 1-30.
• Avcı, C. (1995). Milli Mücadele Döneminde Türk - Ermeni ve Gürcü İlişkileri, Journal of Atatürk Yolu, 4(13), 1-10.
• Aydın, N. (2015). Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM)’s View on Armenian Deportation During the Independence War, Black Sea, 1(25), 20-34.
• Aydoğan, B. (2012). Avrupa Parlamentosu’nda Yer Alan Siyasi Grupların Helsinki Zirvesi Sonrası Türkiye ile İlgili Siyasi Sorunlara, Spectrum: Journal of Global Studies, 4(2), 47-71.
• Ayna, B. (2017). Marash And The Surrounding Kurdish Bandits (1917-1918), Academic Journal of History and Idea, 4(13), 439-453.
• Balcı, A. & Yeşiltaş, M. (2005). Using Foreign Aid as a Foreign Policy Tool: The Case of Japan, The Journal of International Relations, 2(8), 167-198.
• Beyoğlu, S. (2004). Ermeni Tehciri ve İhtida, Recent Period Turkish Studies, Number: 6, 1-18.
• Boy, A. (2017). The Properties Seized by the Armenians in Kars and the Surroundings as of the Armistice of Mudros Until 1920, Armenian Studies, Number: 56, 141-163.
• Budak, M. (2018). The Importance of the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives for the Armenian Question, Recent Period Turkish Studies, 17(34), 207-232.
• Çabuk, M. (2019). Armenian Propaganda Made by England in the USA During to First World War, CBU The Journal of Social Sciences, 17(1), 307-330.
• Çabuk, M. & Tombul, S. (2019). According to Ottoman Archive Documents Persecutions of Armenian Revolutionaries Against Armenians in Mush (1892-1906), Asia Minor Studies, 7(1), 1-14.
• Çelik, H. (2008). Ermeni Tehciri ve Tehcirden Dönen Ermenilerin İskân Sorunu, Journal of Modern Turkish History Studies, 7(16), 143-163.
• Çelikkol, O. (2015). Armenian “Genocide” Claims, US Congress and Turkey, Bilge Strateji, 7(13), 17-30.
• Çoban, E. (2008). The Crime of Genocide in International Law and Underlying Social Structures of the Crime: Rwanda Case, The Journal of International Relations, 5(17), 47-72.
• Çolak, M. (2002). Kaynak Kritiği ve Tehcir Olayında Belge Tahrifatı – Johannes Lepsius Örneği, Belleten, 66(247), 967-602.
• Dilek, M. S. (2009). The Armenian Question in The Paris Peace Conference, Recent Period Turkish Studies, Number: 15-16, 79-97.
• Doğan, O. (2011). Ottoman Soldiers Martered By Zeytun ( Suleymanlı) Armenians, Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 10(1), 509-546.
• Elekdağ, Ş. (2001). The Armenian Question, Armenian Studies, Number: 1, 70-86.
• Erickson, E. J. (2008). The Armenians and Ottoman Military Policy, 1915, War in History, 15(2), 141-167.
• Erkan, S. (2010). Features of the 19th Century International Realations in the Context of the War and Peace, SDU Faculty of Arts and Sciences Journal of Social Sciences, Number: 22, 93-115.
• Eyicil, A. (1999). 1878 Zeytun İsyanı, Journal of The Center for Ottoman Studies, Number: 10, 27-58.
• Eyicil, A. (2000). 1895 Maraş ve Zeytûn İsyanı, Journal of The Center for Ottoman Studies, Number: 11, 157-210.
• Gunn, C. (2012). Getting Away with Murder: Soghomon Tehlirian, ASALA and the Justice Commandos, 1921 - 1984, Armenian Studies, Number: 42, 125-146.
• Gül, M. (1997). 1896 Van Ermeni İsyanı ve Sonrasındaki Gelişmeler, Journal of The Center for Ottoman Studies, Number: 8, 139-147.
• Gülcü, E. (2018). Armenian Uprisings in Mamuratulaziz Province (1895), International Journal of Turkish Literature Culture Education, 7(2), 1349-1379.
• Gümüş, B. (2015). Turks in Germany and the Armenian Incidents, Turkish Journal of TESAM Academy, 2(1), 157-194.
• Gümüş, N. (2009). Osmanlı’da Birlikte Yaşama Tecrübesi: Ermeniler Örneği, Milel ve Nihal, 6(2), 165-198.
• Gündüz, A. (2012). Armenian Revolt will be on the Tips of Yozgat Deportation and 1915, The Turkish Journal of Social Research, 16(3), 59-71.
• Güneş, M. (2014). Censuses in the Ottoman Period and Analysis of These Censuses, Academic Sight, 8(15), 221-240.
• Hasanli, J. (2014). Armenian Volunteers on the Caucasian Front (1914-1916), The Caucasus & Globalization, 8(3-4), 183-201.
• İlter, E. (1995). Ermeni Meselesi’nin Doğuşunda ve Gelişmesinde İngiltere’nin Rolü, Journal of The Center for Ottoman Studies, Number: 6, 155-171.
• İmamoğlu, H. V. & Deniz, Ö. (2014). The Administrative Results of Eastern Question on Non-Muslim Citizens at the Age of Sultan Abdulhamid, Turkish Studies, 9(4), 577-595.
• Kantarcı, Ş. (2001). Armenian Lobby: The Formation of the Armenian Lobby in the United States and Lobby Activities, Armenian Studies, Number: 1, 139-171.
• Kantarcı, Ş. (2006). Looking at the Armenian Issue Through a Window, or Seeing the Whole Picture: are There Parties, Impartial Ones, and the Ones Who Take Sides Even Though They Declare Their Neutrality?, Journal of The Center for Ottoman Studies, Number: 19, 199-217.
• Karakoç, E. (2010). An Armenian Minister in the Ottoman Foreign Ministry: Gabriyel Noradunkhian Effendi, The Journal of International Relations, 7(25), 157-177.
• Karal Akgün, S. (2009). Ottoman - Armenian Intricate Relations with Western Powers at the End of the First World War, Armenian Studies, Number: 33-34, 61-124.
• Karal, E. Z. (1996). Ermeni Meselesi (1878-1923) (E. Aydoğan, Trans.). Journal of Turkish Research Institute, Number: 6, 201-215. (Original work published 1975)
• Kazgan, G. (1970). Milli Türk Devletinin Kuruluşu ve Göçler, Istanbul Journal of Economics, 30(1-4), 313-331.
• Kılıç, D. (2011). Armenians And Sacred Places in Evliya Celebi’s Seyahatname (Travel Book), Journal of Turkish World Studies, 11(2), 99-116.
• Kılıç, D. (2014). Development of Armenian Matter and Social - Religious Structure of Armenians in the Provinces of Van - Bitlis Basen on the Report by Russian General Mayweski, Turkish Studies, 9(1), 259-269.
• Kılıç, D. (2018). An Evaluation of the Effects of the Armenian Patriarchate on the Developments of the 1915 Armenian Incidents (1908-1915), Turkish Studies, 13(8), 79-99.
• Kızılkaya, O. (2014). Difficulties Lived in Erzurum Province at the Beginning of the World War I, Turkish Studies, 9(7), 445-462.
• Kodaman, B. (1985). Bir Amerikalı Gazeteci Gözüyle Ermeni Macerası, Belleten, 49(195), 569-578.
• Kodaman, B. (2010). Abdulhamid II. and the Kurds-Armanians, SDU Faculty of Arts and Sciences Journal of Social Sciences, Number: 21, 131-138.
• Köksal, O. (2006). Exile as an art of Penalty in Otoman Law and the Imperial Handschrifts of the Two Consecutive Ottoman Sultans About Exile, Journal of The Center for Ottoman Studies, Number: 19, 283-341.
• Kurtaran, U. (2011). The System of Nation in Ottoman Empire, Kafkas University Journal of the Institute of Social Sciences, Number: 8, 57-71.
• Memiş, E. (2005). The Origin of Armenians and Turk-Armenian Relations From Past Until Today, Afyon Kocatepe University Journal of Social Science, 7(1), 1-11.
• Ortaylı, İ. (1981). Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda Amerikan Okulları Üzerine Bazı Gözlemler, Amme İdaresi Dergisi, 14(3), 87-96.
• Özçelik, İ. (2017). The Armenian Problem in the Period of National Struggle, Ulakbilge, 5(11), 655-682.
• Özger, Y. (2008). The Strategies Applied by the Fedais During the Armenian Revolts, Armenian Studies, Number: 31, 53-68.
• Özkan, K. & Kılıç, E. (2010). “Ahmed Refik’in “İki Komite, İki Kıtal” Adlı Eseri ve Eskişehir’deki Ermeni Tehcirine Dair Gerçekler”, Belleten, 74(270), 571-617.
• Salt, J. (2014). The Armenian ʻRelocationʼ: The Case For ʻMilitary Necessity, Armenian Studies, Number: 48, 65-75.
• Sarınay, Y. (2006). Türk Arşivleri ve Ermeni Meselesi, Belleten, 70(257), 1-20.
• Sarınay, Y. (2008). Russia’s Armenian Card in its Turkish Policy (1878-1918), Journal of Gazi Academic View, 1(2), 69-105.
• Shaw, S. J. (1978). The Ottoman Census System and Population, 1831-1914, International Journal of Middle East Studies, 9(3), 325-338.
• Stone, N. & Gauin, M. (2009). Reply to L’Histoire, Armenian Studies, Number: 33-34, 125-140.
• Şahin, G. (2008). Armenian Translators in the Ottoman State, Armenian Studies, Number: 30, 59-83.
• Şıkalıyev, E. (2003). Ermeni Soykırımının İç Yüzü, Journal of The Center for Ottoman Studies, Number: 14, 217-246.
• Tosun, R. (2003). The Occurrence and the Character of the Armenian Question, Selçuk University Journal of Studies in Turkology, Number: 14, 143-163.
• Türkkan Tunalı, Y. (2017). The Perception of Armenian Question in the Spanish Diplomatic Reports (1914-1922), Armenian Studies, Number: 57, 133-165.
• Uygur, F. (2016). A study on Population of Armenians in Ottoman Empire and French-Armenian Alliance, The Journal of Historical Studies, 35(60), 175-194.
• Vidlickova, A. (2012). Turkish - Armenian Relations and the Issue of the Recognition of the Claims of the Armenian Genocide, Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations, 11(1), 1-16.
• Yel, S., Gündüz, A. (2008). The Church Event which was Organised by the Hincak Committe in Yozgat, 1893, Armenian Studies, Number: 31, 31-52.
• Yetişgin, M. (2005). Armenian Population in Marash: The Late Ottoman Period, Armistice and National Struggle Years, Journal of The Center for Ottoman Studies, Number: 14, 1-17.
• Yıldırım, B. (2011). Armenian Population in the Edirne According to the First Modern Census (1881/1882-1893) Conducted in the Ottoman Empire, Trakya University Journal of Faculty of Letters, 1(2), 85-101.
• Yıldız, Ö. (2015). Activities of U.S.A on Armenians and Effects on Ottoman State, Journal of History School, 8(22), 239-249.
• Yüksel, M. (2012). Armenian Revolts in Erzurum, Bitlis and Mamûretülaziz Vilayets (1890-1905), Armenian Studies, Number: 43, 165-194.
• Ataöv, T. (1981). Ermeni Sorunu: Bibliyografya, Ankara: A. Ü. Siyasal Bilgiler Fakültesi Yayınları.
• Atatürk, M. K. (2003). Söylev Cilt: I – II, İstanbul: Cumhuriyet Kitap Kulübü.
• Çelebi, E. (2018). Ermeni Terörü: Türk Basınına Göre: 1973-1985, İstanbul: Hiperlink Yayınları.
• DAGM. (1995a). Armenian Violence and Massacre in the Caucasus and Anatolia Based on Archives I: 1906 - 1918. Ankara.
• DAGM. (1995b). Armenian Violence and Massacre in the Caucasus and Anatolia Based on Archives II: 1919. Ankara.
• DAGM. (1995c). Osmanlı Belgelerinde Ermeniler (1915 - 1920). Ankara.
• DAGM. (2001). Ermeni Komiteleri (1891 - 1895). Ankara.
• Erickson, E. J. (2013). Ottomans and Armenians: A Study in Counterinsurgency, Palgrave Macmillan.
• Fraser, T. G., Mango, A. & McNamara, R. (2011). Modern Ortadoğu’nun Kuruluşu, İstanbul: Remzi Kitabevi.
• Günay, N. (2007). Maraş’ta Ermeniler ve Zeytun İsyanları, İstanbul: IQ Kültür Sanat Yayıncılık.
• Karpat, K. (1985). Ottoman Population, 1830-1914: Demographic and Social Characteristics, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
• Lewis, B. (2014). Tarih Notları: Bir Orta Doğu Tarihçisinin Notları, Ankara: Arkadaş Yayınevi.
• Lewy, G. (2005). The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide, The University Of Utan Press.
• McCarthy, J. (1995). Death and Exile: The Ethnic Cleansing of Ottoman Muslims 1821-1922, Darwin Press.
• Nalbandian, L. (1975). The Armenian Revolutionary Movement: The Development of Armenian Parties Through the Nineteenth Century (3. Edition). London: University of California Press, Ltd.
• Orly Saldırısı Davası: 19 Şubat-2 Mart 1985 Şahit ve Avukat Beyanları. (1985) Ankara: Ankara University Faculty of Political Science.
• Özdemir, H., Çiçek, K., Turan, Ö., Çalık, R. & Halaçoğlu, Y. (2004). Ermeniler, Sürgün ve Göç, Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları.
• Özger, Y. (2007). 1895 Bayburt Ermeni Ayaklanmaları. İstanbul: IQ Kültür Sanat Yayıncılık.
• Sander, O. (2016). Siyasi Tarih: İlkçağlar’dan 1918’e (30. Edition). Ankara: İmge Kitabevi.
• Yıldırım B. (2016). “Ermeni Çeteci Antranik ve Gerçekler”. 1915’e Hapsedilen Tarih Ermeni Meselesi. (ed. Ata, F.) Konya: Gençlik Kitabevi. 57-72.
• Avcı, H. E. (2010). Armenian Factor in the Turco - British Relations (Unpublished PhD dissertation). İstanbul University, İstanbul.
• Benmayor, G. (2001, Mar 21). Anadolu’da Ermeni’den çok Türk öldü, Hürriyet, p. 7.
• Ergun, H. (2007). Japan’s Security Srategies, Foreign Policy Tools and Change (Unpublished Master thesis). Selcuk University, Konya.
• Koçaş, S. (1967, May 17). Tarih Boyunca Ermeniler ve Türk - Ermeni İlişkileri, Cumhuriyet, p. 4.
• Öymen, A. (1985, Feb 27). Milliyet yazarı, şeytan Verges’i mat etti, Milliyet, p. 6.
• Özdemir, M. (2007). I. Dünya Savaşı Sırasında Osmanlı Ülkesinde Yaşanan Göç Hareketleri (Unpublished PhD dissertation). Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir.
• Simon, H. (2009). 1938: The Year of Fate. In B. Meyer, H. Simon, C. Schütz (Eds.), Jews in Nazi Berlin: From Kristallnacht to Liberation, (pp. 2-20). The University of Chicago Press.
• The Washington Post, (1914) Armenians Join Russians and 20,000 Scatter Turks Near Feitun, p. 4.
• Uturgauri, S. (2012). Beyaz Ruslar ve Kemalist Türkiye. In Z. Dilek, M. Akbulut, S. Cöhce, Z. Bağlan Özer, R. Gürses, B. Karababa Taşkın (Eds.), 38. ICANAS (International Congress of Asian and North African Studies): History and History of Civilizations, Vol: 1, (pp. 3249-3252). Ankara: Atatürk Supreme Council For Culture, Language and History.
• Yılmaz, M. (2013). Dispatch and Settlement Imlementations Towards Armenians Living in the Six Provinces (1915-1917) (Unpublished Ph. D. Dissertation). Atatürk University, Erzurum.
• Center for Strategic Research, (2007). The Armenian “Genocide”?: Facts & Figures, Online http://www.mfa.gov.tr/data/DISPOLITIKA/ErmeniIddialari/ArmenianGenocideFactsandFiguresRevised.pdf (access 26.10.2019)
• Grigoryan, M. (2012). İstanbul’da Ara Güler’le Başbaşa. https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler/2012/12/121213_ara_guler_interview (access 27.09.2019)
• Hızlan, D. (2002). Bir Ermeni Mezarlığından Osmanlı - Cumhuriyet Portreleri. http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/bir-ermeni-mezarligindan-osmanli-cumhuriyet-portreleri-52827 (access 27.09.2019)
• Hürriyet, (2000a). ABD Kongresi 79 Yıllık Ermeni Belgesini Görmezden Geliyor, Online http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/dunya/abd-kongresi-79-yillik-ermeni-belgesini-gormezden-geliyor-39187965 (access 01.10.2019)
• Hürriyet, (2000b). İngiliz Tarihçinin Soykırım İsyanı, Online http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/ingiliz-tarihcinin-soykirim-isyani-39184560 (access 01.10.2019)
• Hürriyet, (2015). AİHM Nihai Kararını Verdi: 'Soykırım' Davasında Doğu Perinçek Haklı, Online www.hurriyet.com.tr/dunya/aihm-nihai-kararini-verdi-soykirim-davasinda-dogu-perincek-hakli-40002454 (access 11.10.2019)
• IMDb. (n.d.). Nubar Terziyan [database record]. Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0856194/ (access 11.10.2019)
• Köker, İ. (2010). Ermeniler Türkiye’ye Korkarak Geliyor, Dönmek İstemiyorlar. http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/dunya/ermeniler-turkiyeye-korkarak-geliyor-donmek-istemiyorlar-13807580 (access 07.10.2019)
• Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (2019). The Armenian Allegation of Genocide: The Issue and the Facts, Online http://www.mfa.gov.tr/the-armenian-allegation-of-genocide-the-issue-and-the-facts.en.mfa (access 17.09.2019)
• Soy Adı Kanunu. (1934, 2 July). Resmi Gazete (Number: 2741). Retrieved from http://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/arsiv/2741.pdf (access 08.09.2019)
• Sudagezer, E. (2017). Politik Tartışmaların Gölgesinde Sessiz ve Mütevazı: Türkiye’deki Ermeni Göçmenler. https://sptnkne.ws/fj5H (access 08.09.2019)
• TTK, Osmanlı Devleti’nde Ermeni Nüfusu, http://dunyasavasi.ttk.gov.tr/upload/files/Ermeni_Dosyasi/Ittihat_Terakki/ErmeniNufusu.pdf (access 07.09.2019)