Armenian genocide: How did the outbreak of World War 1 contribute to the genocide of the Armenians?

First and foremost the Armenians spoke a different language, believed in a different religion and followed different customs to the Turks. The Armenians were often the scapegoats for many of the Ottoman Empire's problems. By the beginning of the 1700s the Ottoman Empire had reached its' biggest size but ruling over such a large area proved too much for the Empire. Other countries took over a lot of territory belonging to the Ottoman Empire. From 1800 …

…of Anatolia to Mesopotamia and what is today Syria. The Ottoman troops escorting the Armenians not only allowed others to rob, kill and rape the Armenians, but often participated in these activities themselves. The outbreak of World War 1 enabled the genocidal thoughts and hatred of the Turks towards the Armenians to become genocidal actions. While all the other countries were distracted with the war the Young Turks could take the opportunity to eliminate the Armenians.