Gabriel

Velasco
ChicagoAcademyHighSchool
Classof2017
TheArmenianRevolutionaryFederation
TheArmenianGenocidewasaneventthatmanypeopledontevenknowhappened.Thereason
forthis,becauseithasbeendeniedasagenocide.Agroupwasformedaftertheseevents.They
aretheArmenianRevolutionaryFederation.
I
nApril1915,theOttomangovernmentstartedthesystematicextinctionofitsArmenian
population.Thepersecutionscontinueduntil1923,whentheOttomanEmpirebegantofade
awayfromexistence,andwasreplacedbytheRepublicofTurkey 1 .TheArmenianpopulation
oftheOttomanstatewasreportedtobeabouttwomillionin1915.Anestimatedonemillionhad
diedby1918,whilethousandshadbecomehomelessandstatelessrefugees.By1923,theentire
ArmenianpopulationofAnatolia,Turkeyhaddisappeared.ItwasfatalblowtotheArmenians.
ThemassacreswasanattempttocreateanewhomogeneousTurkishTurkey.Theword
Homogeneous,meanssame,oridentical.Theformerethnicandreligiousdiversitythatmade
uptheOttomanEmpire,wasquicklyfadingaway.Specifically,whentheChristiannationsinthe
Balkansbegantofreethemselvesanddeclareindependence.ThismeantthattheOttoman
Empire,wentfrombeingmultireligious,toalmostacompleteMuslimkingdom.TheOttoman
EmpirewasnowalmostentirelyMuslim,andmoreimportantly,aTurkishempire.Anattemptto
restoretheempire'sstatuswastocreateaIslamicempire.Attheendofthe19thcentury,theplan
hadfailed.TheTurkishleaders1
1

#
("ArmenianGenocide."
ArmenianGenocide.
Web.12Jan.2015.

<http://www.armeniangenocide.org/genocide.html>.)

realizedthattheonlywaytomakeupforthelostterritories,wastoexpandeastwardandcreatea
pureTurkishempire.TheyattemptedtogatheralltheTurkishpeopleofCentralAsia.However,
herewasanobviousobstacleonthepath:TheChristiannonTurkishArmenia.So,the
governmentdecidedtoalienatedtheArmenians.Byalienatethem,theymeanttopushthe
Armeniansawayfromthemselves.Thiswasachievedbyforcingthemtochangetheircultureto
thoseoftheOttomansandforcedconversionsofminoritiesintheempire.Andwhenthatwasnt
givingquickenoughresults,massacresandpersecutionsbegan.2
Thisgenocidewentpracticallyunnoticed.Althoughthedeathswererecognized,the
massacreswereneverconsiderasagenocide.ThedefinitionofGenocideisamasskilling,or
prejudicetowardsagroupofpeoplebaseonlooks,race,religionetc.TheArmenianmassacrefits
thedefinitionperfectly!Yet,itwasstillignoredasagenocide.Soagroupwascreated,hence,
theArmenianRevolutionaryFederation.Thisgroupwascreatedtofightfortherightsofthe
Armenians,andtoensurethekillingson1915aretobelabeledasaGenocide.Thebattlefor
themistomakesurethattheirlegacyisntbasedonlies,butontruth.
WhydotheTurksdenygenocide?Doesanyonewantbloodontheirhands.Froman
excerpt,itstatesthatOneofthedocumentsthatauthenticatedbyTurkishauthoritiesin1919is
atelegramsentinJune1915byDr.Sakir.Dr.Sakir,oneoftheleadersofthe3secretorganization
thatcarriedouttheplanningandexecutionoftheGenocide.Inthistelegram,heasksthe

("ArmenianRevolutionaryFederationDashnaktsutyun."
ArmenianRevolutionary

FederationDashnaktsutyun
.Web.13Jan.2015.<http://www.arfd.info/>.)

"TheArmenianGenocideandTurkey'sAttempttoDenyIt."
TheArmenianGenocideandTurkey's
AttempttoDenyIt
.Web.19Feb.2015.<http://www.anca.org/genocide/denial.php>.
3

provincialpartyofficial,whowereresponsibleforcarryingoutthedeportationsandmassacresof
Armenianswithinhisdistrict:"AretheArmenians,whoarebeingdispatchedfromthere,being
liquidated?Arethoseharmfulpersonswhomyouinformusyouareexilingandbanishing,being
exterminated,oraretheybeingmerelydispatchedandexiled?Answerexplicitly....".Thisissolid
proofofthegenocideoccurring!Yetwhyisstillbeignoredasagenocide?Fromthesame
document,Itstatesthatinthe1960s,worldwidecommemorationofthefiftiethanniversaryofthe
Genocide,theTurkishgovernmentmadeeffortstoinfluencejournalists,teachers,andpublic
officialsbytelling"theothersideofthestory.".Foreignscholarswereencouragedtorevisethe
recordofgenocide.TotellanaccountblamingtheArmeniansor,blamingthewartime
conditions,whichclaimedthelivesofmoreTurksthanArmenians.Afterwards,Turkeytriedto
prohibitanymentionoftheGenocideinaUnitedNationsreport.Turkeysucceedinitspressure
ontheReaganandBushadministrationsindefeatingCongressionalresolutionsthatwouldhave
designatedApril24asanationaldayofremembrancefortheArmenianGenocide.TheTurkish
governmenthasalsoattemptedtoexcludeanymentionoftheGenocidefromAmerican
textbooks.TheTurkishgovernmentalsomadeittosothatanydiscussionofthe1915genocide
beingformallyincludedinthesocialstudiescurriculumaspartofHolocaustandgenocide
studies,tobecutoff.Ithasbeensomisledasamassacre,thatevenAdolfHitlerstatedthatno
oneknewwhathappenedtotheArmenians,hecoulddothesamewiththeJews.Thus,thestart
oftheARFcametobe.

TheArmenianRevolutionaryFederationwasfoundintheearly1800s.Duringthe

1800's,thingsbegantochange.LargenumbersofArmenianstudents,fromIstanbulandcities
underRussiancontrol,enteredtheUniversitiesofFrance,Switzerland,ItalyandGermany,as

wellasRussia.Theylearnedtheteachingsofthecivilizedworldandsocialreforms.Whenthese
youngmencamehome,they
questionedwhytheArmenianpeoplehadtoliveunderoppressiveruleandwhytheycouldnot
befreeoftheTurksandRussians.Thepowerofeducationopentheirmindstotheyhorrorsthey
endured.
Thethreefounderswere
ChristaporMikaelian,SimonZavarian,andStepanZorian.
ChristaporMikaelianwastheeldestofthethreeARFfounders.BorninRussianArmenia,
helostbothparentsasachildbutgotagoodeducation,graduatingfromtheTeachersSeminary
inTiflis.In1889,inanefforttomaketheArmenianrevolutionarymovementmoreeffective,he
organizedtheArmenianYouth.TheArmenianYouthgoalwastouniteallthe
existingrevolutionarygroupsintheattempttofreeTurkishArmenia.Thisaimwas
finallyrealizedbytheorganizationoftheArmenianRevolutionaryFederation,and
Kristaporwastheleadingspiritbehindthemove.In1891,hebegantopublishthe"Droshak,"
theofficialbackboneofthenewFederation.HewasaccidentallykilledonMarch17,1905in
Bulgaria,whileexperimentingwithexplosivesmeanttobeusedinaplannedattemptonthelife
ofSultanAbdulHamid,rulerofTurkey
SimonZavarianwasborninthevillageofAikenheadinRussianArmenia.Hegraduated
fromaTiflishighschoolwithhighesthonors.HethenenteredacollegeinMoscowwherehe
cameacrossagroupofArmenianstudentswhometinsecretplacesanddiscussedoffreedom
fromthebarbarousTurk.Simon'sideaoffreedomthroughpeacefulmeanswassoonchanged.
HejoinedasecretsocietyofArmeniansinTillisformedbyMikaelian.Thissecretsocietywould

soonturnintotheARF.Hewasarrestedtwiceandexiledbothtimes.OnOctober12,1913,
Zavarian,finallydiedofheartdiseaseinIstanbul.
StepanZorianwastheyoungestofthethreeARFfounders.BorninRussianArmenia,he
wasthesonofawealthyfamily.FollowingthefoundingoftheARF,hemovedtoTurkish
Armeniaasateacher.However,thiswasaploy.Hisrealintentionwastospreadrevolutionary
ideas.Hestayedthereninemonths,thenreturnedtoTillis,wherehepreparedthepolitical
programoftheARF.Heestablishedasecretrevolutionaryprintingshop,publishedrevolutionary
fliersandworkaseditorofTroshak.In1917,attheoutbreakoftheRussianRevolution,he
movedtoBakuandbecamethesouloftheheroicdefense.AfterthefallofBaku,hewentto
PersiawherehedevotedhimselftothecareofArmenianrefugees.4
Howdoesthisrelatetolegacyandleadership?TheARFwascreatedtomaketomake
surethattheArmenianGenocidewasrecognizedasagenocide.Themissionwastoensurethat
thelegacyoftheArmeniansthatlivedthroughthosehorrendoustimes,wasnottarnished,and
labelassomethingelse.Theywantedtheworldtounderstand,thatTurkishempirehaddonea
terriblecrime,andtheymustadmittothem.TheARFalsoexemplifyleadershipaswell.Inits
threefounders,theyshowedleadershipbravely.Theyspokeforwhattheybelievedin,and
ralliedthepeopletostandup.Theywantedtheirfellowarmenianstohelptakeawaythetarnish
rubbishthatcoveredthelegacyoftheArmenians.Theyshowedthatbybecomingaunified
group,theirvoicecouldbeheard.

"FoundingoftheArmenianRevolutionaryFederation."Web.15Feb.2015.
<http://www.ayf.org/uploads/educationals/arf/AYFJuniorEducational_ARFHistory.pdf>.

Tothisday,thebattleisstillongoing.TheTurkishgovernmentstilldenieschargesof
genocide.5TheARFisstillfightingforrightsinArmenia,fortheybecamerefugeesduetothe
genocide.TheGenocideof1915mustberecognized.Thememoriesofthosewhodiedwillbe
tarnishediftheyarenotremember.TheTurkeyGovernmentmustadmittedtotheircrimes.The
factsareallovertheplace.Thefactsarescreaminggenocide.TheARFwascreatedtoamplify
thatscream,andmakepeoplerecognizedthatthemasskillingsof1915,wasagenocide.The
legacyoftheArmenianswillbechangedwiththeARF.TheArmenianRevolutionaryFederation.

"ArmenianMassacres|TurkishArmenianHistory."
EncyclopediaBritannicaOnline
.Encyclopedia
Britannica.Web.27Feb.2015.<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/35323/Armenianmassacres>.
5