A Glance at the Minority Issue Before the War of Independence

Abstract

In World War I, the minorities, who were deceived by promising them to establish a state, cooperated with the Russians, the British, the French and the Americans against the Ottoman Empire. Germany, on the other hand, was trying to use the minorities in Europe against the allies mentioned above. Although there are many works about the use and allegation of Armenians and Greeks and Assyrians by the British, French and Russians before the War of Independence, no comprehensive research has been conducted on the role of America, who is pursuing the oil of Baku and the Middle East with its allies. However, America has pursued minorities just like its other allies. Although fourteen points, published by President Wilson and suggesting various lineages to establish a state, at first glance, it is understood that the main purpose was to lead to new states established by the minorities on the Ottoman lands. In fact, the USA had a lot of hope in becoming a mandater while discussing the mandate issue during the Erzurum Congress. General Harbord's report on the Armenians is one of the well-known issues today. The event that withdrew America from the fall of the Ottoman Empire was that due to its inexperience, it joined the war in 1917, three years after the war began, but it was the largest soldier lost. In the face of this loss, which the American public finds unnecessary, America has pulled the European affairs. We will try to examine America's attitude towards minorities in the last period of the Ottoman Empire in the light of the archive documents in Washington. This investigation will explain to us better how hard the War of Independence took place and will prove the genius of those who fought this war.