WHEN

In the mid 1860s-1870s, the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire began to strive for equality and fair treatment. Inspiration came from post-Enlightenment ideals of freedom and equality, resulting in a fervent desire for impartiality among the Ottomans. The Armenian population was offered many empty promises that no one cared to undertake. Thus, Armenian revolutionary movements sprouted with the common goal of improving lives for Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, Sultan Abdul Hamid II implemented policies that often angered the Armenians such as over-taxation. These unfair policies led to the gathering of 2,000 armenians in Constantinople on October 1^st, 1895 to petition for better treatment. The peaceful petition resulted in a violent interefernce from Ottoman police and later, the Hamidian Massacres. When the Young Turk Revolution took place in 1908, there seemed to be a brighter future for Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. However, a countercoup took place 1909 and spilled over into pogroms against Armenians, building tensions between the Armenian population and the Ottoman Empire’s government. The Armenian Genocide officially started on April 24^th, 1915 when Armenian leaders from Constantinople and other Ottoman centers were arrested and moved to two holding centers by the then minister of interior, Mehmed Talat Bey.