Why were the Armenians killed by the Young Turks in WWI?

Question: Why were the Armenians killed by the Young Turks in WWI!?

During the first world war, why did the Turkish government want to exterminate the Christian Armenian population!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

World War One gave the Young Turk government the cover and the excuse to carry out their plan!. The plan was simple and its goal was clear!. On April 24th 1915, commemorated worldwide by Armenians as Genocide Memorial Day, hundreds of Armenian leaders were murdered in Istanbul after being summoned and gathered!. The now leaderless Armenian people were to follow!.

When WWI erupted, the Young Turk government, hoping to save the remains of the weakened Ottoman Empire, adopted a policy of Pan Turkism – the establishment of a mega Turkish empire comprising of all Turkic-speaking peoples of the Caucasus and Central Asia extending to China, intending also to Turkify all ethnic minorities of the empire!. The Armenian population became the main obstacle standing in the way of the realization of this policy!.

Although the decision for the deportation of all Armenians from the Western Armenia (Eastern Turkey) was adopted in late 1911, the Young Turks used WWI as a suitable opportunity for its implementation!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Young Turks called Armenians "Gavur" meaning "godless" because Armenians were not Muslims!. They killed 1!.5 million Armenians, 300,000 Greeks, and 150,000 Assyrians during the same period of time!.

Note that at the time many Armenians had very high positions in the government and business, this was bothering them!. There was double taxation, second class citizens, and a lot of discrimination!. The Armenian killings started from 1890's, the Hamidian massacres!. It was a state planned operation, state terrorism!.Www@QuestionHome@Com