Armenian resistance in the Ottoman Empire during WWI
Armenian resistance included military, political, and humanitarian efforts to counter Ottoman forces and mitigate the Armenian genocide during the first World War. Early in World War I, the Ottoman Empire commenced efforts to eradicate Armenian culture and eliminate Armenian life, through acts of killing and death marches into uninhabitable deserts and mountain regions. The result was the homogenisation of the Ottoman Empire and elimination of 90% of the Armenian Ottoman population.
Those efforts were countered by Armenian attempts to mitigate the plight through the establishment of humanitarian networks. Those provided for basic needs like food and hiding places. Several armed uprisings attempted to resist deportation, namely the Defence of Van, and in Musa Dagh and Urfa. Still, violent resistance was rare and often not effective, compared to the humanitarian network which saved up to 200,000 Armenians from death. Local resistance movements were notably supported by a transnational network of help, namely the ABCFM, US Armenian relief committee, and missionaries.
Additionally, military efforts to counter the Ottoman Army were conducted by Armenian forces, such as the Armenian Resistance Forces (called "fedayeen/fedayis") and the Armenian irregular units. Those supported Russian efforts to advance on the Ottoman front in the Caucasus.
Humanitarian resistance against the genocide.
Humanitarian resistance refers to illegal conduct to mitigate the effects of deportation and prevent annihilation. Core actors of this resistance were religious and civic leaders, such as church committees, doctors and nurses, local Muslims, and influential Armenian dignitaries and foreign missionaries. Those established a self-help network, which supplied deportees in camps with basic needs, such as food, fuelwood, and financial support through money transfer. This network saved thousands of Armenians from death. At the beginning of the deportations, such efforts were still legal but with increasing tensions, those efforts faced crackdowns in 1915, criminalization and forcing to move into the underground.
From this onwards, the resistance conducted fewer public actions. Refugees were hidden in private homes, community centres, and children in orphanages. Military factories and hospitals under the influence of network members served the purpose of employing Armenians, providing them with a permit to move freely in the city and integrating them successfully into their new environment. This prevented their deportation.
Individual resistance.
In the camps, support systems were established to care for orphans and provide health care. Individuals, from the Muslim population, and officers like city authorities resisted orders of deportation and faced removal from their posts.
Resistance through information gathering.
Information was an important part of the resistance and was essential for survival. Smuggled letters of information about the developments in other camps, abuses of CUP officials on deportees and advice on how to survive in the camps helped Armenians to adapt to the new life realities. The full impact of the genocide was long withheld from the Ottoman and international public. Censorship of foreign embassies impeded international attention and intervention. To circumvent the Ottoman censoring, new modes of expression were employed. Such were quoting of biblical passages and literary works, which enabled a restricted spreading of the knowledge of the genocide in international media and politics. Such information provoked international support systems such as the ABCFM, Armenian Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and the founding of the US Armenian relive committee, leading to fundraising and enacting international pressure.
Military resistance against the genocide.
The majority of the Armenian population resented military resistance against the genocide and hoped instead for survival through displayed loyalty. Important actors of the Armenian community as the church toned down rebellious actions and emphasized patience instead.
In some cases, military resistance was successful:
Other resistance movements were shattered and had the effect of annihilation of entire villages.
Unsuccessful resistance:
Previous military resistance against the Ottoman forces.
Previous Armenian military resistances against forces of the Ottoman Empire were namely:
Armenian Resistance Forces.
The Armenian Resistance Forces (ARF) were established in 1890 out of Armenian volunteers called fedayis and of members of the Armenian national liberation movement. Important members were Murad of Sebastia, and Karekin Pastermadjian. Their main aim was to pose resistance to the Ottoman Forces and to act as the defender of the Armenian nation. The ARF gained major importance during WWI on the Caucasus front, where they joined the Russian Army. Their participation contributed to the defeat of the Ottoman army in January 1916. Primary legions fighting with Russia in the Caucasus were the Armenian volunteer legion, staffed by the Armenian National Bureau (ANB) and through that indirectly through the ARF, dominating the ANB. The number of the fighters reached an estimated amount 5.000.
Art and culture.
Armenian resistance has left a symbolic dish. The Harissa () is generally served to commemorate the Musa Dagh resistance. Current practice renamed the dish as "hreesi".