THE REOPENING OF THE ARMENIAN QUESTION IN 1912 AND THE ATTITUDE OF WESTERN ARMENIAN SPIRITUAL AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS

The article examines the preconditions for the reopening of the Ar-menian Question by the Great Powers in the autumn of 1912. This marked the end of the period of cooperation between Armenian religious and political organizations and the Young Turks, which had begun with the Constitutional Revolution of July 1908. This phase of cooperation was characterized by cautious political ex-pectations, as the Armenian side sought to reconcile its faith in constitu-tional promises with the uncertainty of the actual political situation. The article demonstrates that all Armenian socio-political circles be-came involved in the issue of reforms, despite having adhered to the slo-gans of Ottomanism and law-abiding conduct for the preceding four years. This ideological shift indicates that the Armenian political estab-lishment was still seeking a lasting solution within the Ottoman state system before turning to external powers as its predominant strategic op-tion. The reopening of the Armenian Question was initiated primarily by Tsarist Russia, which, through a carefully orchestrated political strategy, once again redirected Armenian political thinking towards Russia. Russia’s renewed engagement was linked not only to the Armenian Question but also to its broader strategy of exerting pressure on the Ot-toman Empire, within which the Armenian Question was regarded as an instrument of political legitimization. The Unionists (Ittihadists) made every effort to dissuade the Armeni-ans from adopting a pro-Russian orientation. They sought to convince them that Armenians and Turks should act in unity, organizing meetings with representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), in particular, to promote this position. These political contacts had both diplomatic and supervisory dimen-sions, as the Unionists sought to prevent the growing influence of exter-nal powers within the Armenian political sphere. Nevertheless, the Armenians once again turned towards Russia. Many were convinced that Russia would finally liberate Western Armenia. This expectation was shaped in part by historical memory and the impact of previous Russo-Ottoman conflicts, in which Russia was perceived as a potential “liberating power.” As a result, Armenian political thinking increasingly developed stra-tegic expectations based on external dependence, diminishing the role of independent political action. The Armenians became preoccupied with the issue of reforms, while, as a consequence of their adoption of constitutionalist slogans alongside the Turks, Western Armenians had not undertaken substantial arms preparations and remained unarmed even when the Armenian Question was reopened. They continued to rely on Russia for salvation, an expecta-tion that ultimately proved unfounded. This situation subsequently became an important factor in the grow-ing vulnerability of the Armenian population, demonstrating that politi-cal expectations and actual security arrangements had failed to converge.