The Armenians and Tsarist Russia (1870-1906)

The Armenians of Tsarist Russia was in a promising situation with their immense impact on economic, cultural and political affairs of Transcaucasia until the last two decades of the 19th century, which saw major changes as regards to their position in the Russian Empire. This thesis examines the dynamics of this difficult period for the Armenians by investigating the Tsarist policies, which produced a complex picture for the Russian Armenians. In addition, another important factor, the influence of the Russian revolutionary movement on the Armenian revolutionary groups on theoretical and organizational levels is explained. By 1880’s, the combination of these factors caused the emergence of an unfavourable Tsarist treatment of its Armenian subjects in line with the general Russification policy. In the specified period, Russian foreign policy interests about the Armenian Question made things even worse for the Russian Armenians. The study explores this downward trend, which was to be culminated in the Tsarist decision to confiscate the Armenian Church properties in 1903. The Armenian response to this, intermingled in the broader course of the 1905 Revolution, was an important dimension for the fates of not only the Russian Armenians but also the Ottoman Armenians.