The Ottomans hated the Armenians. They had been downtrodden and viewed as rebellious for centuries, ever since they joined the empire in the 15th century. There had even been previous massacres, not too dissimilar to the ones committed by the British in India. In 1984, when Armenians in the Sasun region refused to pay an oppressive tax, Ottoman troops killed thousands. In 1895, Ottoman authorities brutally suppressed an Armenian demonstration, which turned into a massacre not dissimilar to the Amritsar massacre. Another 20,000 were killed in 1904-1906 by riots and pogroms (Riots that are condoned by the government). I can safely say they hated the Armenians. As a cause of this, 2 Armenian groups formed that wanted to pressure the government into giving Armenians the same rights that other groups had. However, most Armenians still didn't support them, being in favour of remaining loyal, hoping to gain the attention of Europe. The loss of a battle gave them the excuse they needed, despite the fact that it was primarily bad leadership and terrible weather.
