New Book Examines ‘The Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Constitutionalis

LONDON/NEW YORK—Bloomsbury Press announced the publication of the late Dr. Garabet K. Moumdjian’s “The Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Constitutionalism in the Ottoman Empire, 1895-1908.” The book is part of the series “Armenians in the Modern and Early Modern World” edited by Bedross Der Matossian (University of Nebraska, Lincoln). 

What was the nature of the relationship between the Young Turks, whose members would go on to form and lead the Committee of Union and Progress, which would carry out the Armenian Genocide beginning in 1915, and the Armenian revolutionaries of the late Ottoman Empire?

Based on rich Armenian, Ottoman, British, and other archival documents and periodicals, this book reveals the complex dynamics and relations that Armenian organizations, most notably the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, maintained with the Young Turks between 1895-1908, when relations shifted from mutual suspicion to closer collaboration.

Put in the context of the worsening conditions for Ottoman-Armenians in the eastern provinces of the empire, the book reveals the internal debates of the ARF about collaboration with Young Turk cadres in an effort to improve conditions for their people, as well as the role that Armenian revolutionaries played in CUP calculations and aims for toppling the regime of Sultan Abdulhamid. The book thus reveals the complex and gradual development of relations between the groups before the outright anti-Armenian policies of the CUP would culminate in the Armenian Genocide. It also reveals the ARF’s commitment to the constitutional project and the difficult choices it faced in pursuing those aims.

“Essential reading to understand political and security conditions in the Ottoman Armenian provinces in the years prior to the Constitutional Revolution. Moumdjian provides critical insight into the interactions and cooperation between Armenian and Turkish revolutionaries,” said Dikran M. Kaligian, author of “Armenian Organization and Ideology under Ottoman Rule: 1908-1914.”

“Long at the center of polemical debate, relations between the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Young Turks remain a defining problem of late Ottoman history,” said Varak Ketsamanian, American University of Beirut. “Drawing on a rich body of previously untapped archival sources, Armenians and Young Turks offers a decisive and much-needed reinterpretation. Focusing on the years 1895 to 1908, Moumdjian reconstructs a relationship marked by both strategic convergence and profound ideological divergence.

“United in their push to restore constitutional rule, Armenian and Young Turk revolutionaries nonetheless advanced competing meanings and visions of the empire’s future. Through a meticulous analysis of internal deliberations and inter-organizational negotiations, this compelling book reveals the difficult and fraught choices that shaped this fragile alliance and traces the paths that led to its collapse, ultimately culminating in rupture and catastrophe,” Ketsamanian added.

Bedross Der Matossian reflected on his close intellectual connection with Dr. Moumdjian, noting their shared roots as Marashtsis from the Middle East and their common interest in Ottoman Armenian history. After encouraging Moumdjian to submit his manuscript to the “Armenians in the Modern and Early Modern World” series, he received a strong peer review and began revising the work. Tragically, Moumdjian passed away on March 29, 2023, before completing the project. A year later, his wife, Nayeri Moumdjian, expressed her wish to see the manuscript published. With her support, Dr. Der Matossian enlisted Dr. Mehmet Polatel to revise and expand the text and Dr. Tamar Boyadjian to edit and refine the manuscript.

“Although Dr. Moumdjian did not live to see the publication of his book,” said Der Matossian, “his scholarship and memory endure through this work. The book is dedicated to his wife, Nayeri, and their sons, Hagop and Purag,” he concluded.

Copies of “The Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Constitutionalism in the Ottoman Empire, 1895-1908” are available for purchase on Bloomsbury’s website. Enter code GLR AT8 at checkout for 35% off.

Garabet K. Moumdjian was an independent historian and an Ottomanist. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2012 from UCLA under the supervision of the late Prof. Richard Hovannisian. His dissertation, “Struggling for a Constitutional Regime: Armenian-Young Turk Relations in the Era of Abdul Hamid II, 1895–1909,” examined the complex dynamics of Ottoman-Armenian political relations.

Over the course of his career, Moumdjian served as Principal of the Armenian Mesrobian School and Vice-Principal of the Vahan and Anoush Chamlian School. He also taught Armenian History at California State University, Northridge; the University of La Verne; UCLA; and Glendale Community College. In addition, he taught at the Ferrahian School and authored multiple Armenian history textbooks that continue to educate new generations.

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