CLEP Western Civ II

Answer: E - The Turks justified the genocide against the Armenians by maintaining that they were a threat during the war and likely to join the Russians. The Armenians had lived within the Ottoman Empire for centuries, and, like many Christians, lived peacefully while paying higher taxes and subject to other discriminatory measures. When nationalist movements erupted in Europe at the turn of the century, the Turks feared such an outbreak among the Armenians. When the war broke out, this gave the Turkish government the justification it required to target them for execution and removal.