Who is Talaat Pasha and who killed him?

Who is Talaat Pasha? So, his full name is Mehmed Talaat Pasha, and this is a Turkish politician who has left a bright mark in world history.

Biography

The future Minister of Internal Affairs of the Ottoman Empire was born in 1874, in the rundown provincial town of Kardzhali (Edirne), which is currently in the Kardzhali region of Bulgaria. Talaat Pasha was born into the family of an ataman military figure (investigator). In its origin, Mehmed Talaat Pasha was a pomak. Pomaks are a Bulgarian-speaking religious group that professed Islam. It is important to note that the Pomaks were of mixed origin. Pasha took Islam in his youth to advance the career ladder in the Ottoman Empire.

An interesting fact: Talaat Pasha had a rather dark skin, for which he was often called a gypsy at work.

The future politician graduated from the high school in Edirne. And then began to build his career. As you know, this figure during his short life, long at 47 years, managed to prove himself in many industries as an employee. He managed to occupy high positions in the government of the state, however, because of his tough convictions and criminal activities towards the Armenians and their immediate destruction, Talaat was killed. Due to his political actions, the victims were 1-1.5 million people.

Beginning of a pasha career

The famous political figure Mehmed Talaat Pasha began his career growth from the position of clerk in the telegraph office. But over time, he actively began to take an interest in political activities. Being still a clerk in the office, Pasha also actively fought against the abdulgamido tyranny, and decided to become a member of the Young Turk movement. However, in order to gain a deeper understanding of this topic, it is necessary to explain what is the Young Turk movement and what its goals were.

Young movement

Thus, the Young Turk movement (members of this movement is often called the "Young Turks") is a political movement in the Ottoman Empire, which began its existence in 1876. Its purpose was to carry out certain reforms in the state and create a directly constitutional state structure. In fact, the achievements of the Young Turk movement are very important, because the Young Turks managed to overthrow Abdul-Hamid II and carry out a number of certain reforms. However, it is important to note that the power in the hands of this political movement lasted not so long. After the fall of Turkey in the First World War, the Young Turks lost all control over the state.

The young pasha was such an ardent revolutionary that he was arrested and sentenced for political crimes: two years in prison. However, after the arrest and serving his sentence, Mehmed continued his work, only the first time he worked only as a postman. But after 1908, when the political situation in the state completely changed (after the Young Turks coup in 1908), Mehmed Talaat Pasha was elected a deputy in the parliament.

He was a member of the party "Unity and Progress", which advocated the removal of the Sultan.

The post of Minister of Internal Affairs

Not much time passed, as already in 1909 Mehmed Pasha received a high-ranking position in the government, namely, the post of Minister of Internal Affairs of the Ottoman Empire. And it is important to note that by 1909 Mehmed was becoming one of the most influential people of the Ottoman Empire. And, occupying this post, the nationalist takes severe measures against national minorities, and especially this manifested itself in relation to the Armenian nation, which, on the orders of the pasha, was regularly exterminated. The political figure of the Ottoman Empire once wrote in his memoirs that he is very apprehensive that the Armenian nation will proclaim an independent state.

After receiving this post, the pasha accepts the organization of a forced "Turkification campaign" and leads ideological work, imposing the ideas of pan-Turkism. Panturkism is a political and cultural movement that includes the idea of the need to consolidate the Turkic peoples, based on the cultural, ethnic and linguistic norms of these peoples. The nationalist Talaat Pasha believed that Armenians are a great obstacle on the way to the Turkification of the population. Therefore, he decided that the best way out of the situation is getting rid of the Armenians. He was convinced that the Armenians should be finished forever.

The post of Minister of Internal Affairs was the last step on the career ladder of Mehmed Talaat Pasha, because he was killed.

The main reason for the murder of the Minister of Internal Affairs. The Armenian Genocide

As the history says, in 1915 Talaat Pasha gives an order for the extermination of the Armenian population throughout the Ottoman Empire. He also initiated the program, according to which many Armenians were deported to the desert, where poor people perished from hunger and thirst. And sometimes they became still victims of cruel marauders, who, not sparing, killed them. Already in June of the same year, 1915, an order was issued that absolutely all Armenians living in the eastern part of the Ottoman Empire had to be exiled to the desert.

The plan was as follows: at the end of the Armenian genocide, their number in the country should not be more than 10 percent of the population of the Muslim population.

It is important to note that the Armenian genocide was conducted in several stages:

1. Disarmament of Armenian soldiers.
2. Selective deportation of Armenians.
3. Adoption of the law on their expulsion.
4. Mass deportation of Armenians.
5. Mass annihilation of the Armenian population.

However, the main instigator of a hard genocide is not only Talaat. The main organizers are the leaders of the movement "Young Turks" Enver Pasha, Talaat Pasha and Jemal Pasha.

Enver and Jemal Pasha

Enver is from Istanbul. Born in 1881 in the family of an ordinary worker of the railway. The family was large enough, consisting of five children. Enver was the eldest. From the very childhood, he knew that he wanted to be a military man, and in his youth went to military school. Then he graduated from the academy with the rank of captain. But over time he received the rank of major.

Then Enver became one of the members of the military movement "Motherland and Freedom".

Enver Pasha actively participated in many wars, such as the Italian-Turkish War, the Balkan War and the First World War.

He had a special dislike for the Greeks and Armenians in the Ottoman Empire who professed Christianity. Therefore, he became an active participant in the genocide of these nationalities.

Ahmed Jemal Pasha was born in 1872 in Mytilene, in the family of a military medic. He also studied at the military school, and then at the military academy. He was just like Jemal, Talaat, an active member of the Unity and Progress movement. He also participated in many wars, and was a political figure in the Ottoman Empire.

Background of the Armenian Genocide

As is already known, at that time in the Ottoman Empire all power was concentrated in the hands of the Young Turks, who had a dislike for Armenians and Greeks. And the reason was that these nations professed Christianity. But the act of genocide was carried out by representatives of the Young Turks, not only because of their sadism and cruelty. Naturally, there were some reasons and prerequisites for these terrible events.

The story goes that Armenians lived on the territory of the Ottoman Empire for many centuries. And they built a large part of the economy of the empire. It is important to note that Armenians have always been discriminated against because of their religion.

However, the real reason lies in the fact that Armenians began organizing underground organizations in the late 19th century, whose goal was to create an independent Armenian state on the territory of the Ottoman Empire. Of course, the government did not like such organizations. Therefore, they took severe measures against the entire Armenian people, fearing that Armenians would seize power.

The death of Talaat Pasha

On March 15, the Interior Minister of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed Talaat Pasha, was shot dead in Germany in the city of Berlin at the age of 47. Witnesses say that it was a sunny day and the pasha was walking along the avenue, and there was a man who did not know who had suddenly shot at the Minister of Internal Affairs. But who killed Talaat Pasha? The story goes that the political figure of the Ottoman Empire was killed in Operation Nemesis, which punished the perpetrators of the Armenian genocide. And at number 1 in the list for the murders was exactly the name of Talaat Pasha. The murder of Mehmed was not a big surprise, because at that time all those who had punished the Armenians began to be executed for their criminal deeds. And Mehmed was the direct organizer and ideological inspirer of the Armenian genocide.

Executioner

How was Talaat Pasha killed and by whom?

The Minister of Internal Affairs of the Ottoman Empire was shot dead by Sogomon Tayllaryan on March 15, 1921 in Berlin. It is important to note that as a result, the murderer of the pasha was acquitted in a German court.

Sogomon Tayleryan was born in the village of Nerkin-Bagari, which was located on the outskirts of the Ottoman Empire. He was an Armenian and the only survivor of his family. Soghomon lost all his relatives as a result of the Armenian genocide, headed by the nationalist Talaat Pasha. The murderer acted within the framework of the vengeful operation "Nemesis" and took revenge for his family, which was completely destroyed as a result of the brutal genocide.

Dönme sect

As the story goes, Talaat Pasha is a Jew from the Dönme sect. But what kind of sect is this? And how did it affect the future fate of Mehmed?

Dönme is a kabbalistic sect, founded in the distant year 1683. As is known, this sect began to support the Young Turk movement, so Talaat Pasha became its member. It is known that all the time of its existence the sect led a closed way of life, and therefore various rumors and speculations were spilling around it. However, in the 20th century, it penetrated into the secular elite and became more open. Now in Turkey it still exists, although the number of its members is not so great: only 2,500 people.