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How did the Dashnaktsutyun respond when the Young Turks asked it to recruit Armenians for the Ottoman war effort?
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Armenian Genocide
Overview of the history and controversy surrounding the Armenian Genocide.
When the Young Turks proposed that the Dashnaktsutyun—the leading Armenian political party—recruit Armenians from both Russian and Ottoman territories to fight for the Ottoman Empire during World War I, the party declined the request.
The Dashnaktsutyun replied that Armenian subjects of both the Russian and Ottoman empires would remain loyal to their respective states. This refusal was interpreted by powerful leaders of the Young Turks as an act of treachery, further fueling the regime's suspicion of their Armenian subjects.1