SELF-DEFENSE IN 1904 ON THE PAGES OF THE MAGAZINE “DROSHAK”

Abstract

The self-defense of Sassoon in 1904 occupies a unique place in the Western Armenian national-liberation struggle. This is one of the unique episodes of the liberation struggle, when the struggle had united, both to all the Hayduks and to the national parties: Hnchakyan, Dashnaktsutyun, despite their obvious differences. The struggle is presented in the article according to "Droshak", which reflected the events of those years with the greatest accuracy, because his information was supplemented by the direct participants of that struggle and with letters from leading figures, which were written in the mess of events under new impressions. This fact has great importance, as the memoirs of the liberation figures were written years after the events and many details are left out . “Droshak"comes to fill that gap. In article is discussed the well-prepared siege of Sassoon by the Turkish government, which presented for many years as a revolt, rather than self-defense. Besides the Turkish government, that point of view was also advanced by the tsarist authorities. However, the fact that rebellions took place in Sassoon in 1894 and 1904 is a falsification of historical events and the birthplace of that falsehood was ottoman court Yltzn. The purpose of the forgery Sassoon's responsibility for the epic events put on the Armenians (Poghosyan S. 1989).