“ARMENIAN FACTOR” IN THE RUSSIA’S SOUTH CAUCASUS AND NEAR EAST POLICY ON THE EVE AND DURING THE WORLD WAR I

Abstract

Russia, which was preparing for World War I in the early twentieth century, wanted to occupy the rich and strategically important territories of Turkey in this war. In this respect, the aim of the article is to reveal the fact that the Russian ruling circles relied on the Armenian community, which they considered an ally in the Caucasus and the Middle East. At that time, the Armenians, who were once relocated to the South Caucasus by the tsarist government, were protected, armed and had ample financial resources, were also looking forward to the war. They wanted to realize now what they could not achieve in the last Russian-Turkish war and the Berlin Congress due to the resistance of Western countries, to realize their dreams of a "Greater Armenia" in the Ottoman lands and in the Caucasus under the auspices of Russia. Therefore, the Armenian political and clerical circles, terrorist organizations were able to resolve a number of disputes with the tsarist government and reach an agreement. Armenian politicians and terrorist organizations, promising to establish an "Armenian state" in those territories by the tsarist government, stood by Russia in the war. All these facts have been found in archive materials which provide the relevant data concerning the article. Armenian terrorist groups and insurgent groups, which struck the Ottoman state from behind and caused its military defeat, led to the tragedy of millions of Turks, Azerbaijanis, Kurds and Armenians in the region. However, neither the tsarist government, which collapsed as a result of the revolution, nor the Armenian political and clerical circles, which suffered great losses, were to achieve their goals. Comparative-historical and data-analyses methods have been used in the study.The main result of the article is that importance of armenian factor in the policy of the Russia in South Caucasus and Near East was revealed. Consequently, in order to create an "Armenian state" in the South Caucasus on a changing geopolitical level, these circles entered into an alliance with the Tsarist Russia.