In April 1915 the Ottoman government embarked upon the
systematic decimation of its civilian Armenian population. The
persecutions continued with varying intensity until 1923 when
the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist and was replaced by the
Republic of Turkey. The Armenian population of the Ottoman state
was reported at about two million in 1915. An estimated one
million had perished by 1918, while hundreds of thousands had
become homeless and stateless refugees. By 1923 virtually the
entire Armenian population of Anatolian Turkey had disappeared.
The Ottoman Empire was ruled by the Turks who had conquered
lands extending across West Asia, North Africa and Southeast
Europe. The Ottoman government was centered in Istanbul
(Constantinople) and was headed by a sultan who was vested with
absolute power. The Turks practiced Islam and were a martial
people. The Armenians, a Christian minority, lived as second
class citizens subject to legal restrictions which denied them
normal safeguards. Neither their lives nor the