Wilsonian Armenia - Aftermath

Aftermath

As the previous months had shown, King-Crane Commission had not adequately analyzed the situation. The realities on the ground were different, and they were not included in the report. The Treaty of Alexandropol and then the Treaty of Kars were, combined, the first blockage to this idea and then within the following months, the Treaty of Sèvres was superseded by the Treaty of Lausanne. The Armenian national fight for "Western Armenia" being part of the newly established Turkish republic was dropped from the table.

Today, as a continuation of the initial goal, the creation of an independent and united Armenia consisting of all territories designated as Wilsonian Armenia by the Treaty of Sèvres is a stated aim of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, regardless of the fact that these territories are now inhabited mainly by ethnic Kurds and Turks.

Armenian historian of the Genocide Vahakn Dadrian argued that, though it began as an effort to improve the lot of Armenians, the Treaty of Sevres served mainly to compound the misfortunes of Armenians. He wrote that: "However long overdue and deserved its terms might have seemed to the Armenians, its promise of restoring to the Armenians a large chunk of historic Armenia fueled extravagant Armenian hopes and irredentist aspirations." Genesis of the Sevres Treaty also coincided with the definitive defeat of the Damat Ferit's Cabinet in Istanbul which had initiated the prosecution against the authors of the genocide. From that period on court martial proceedings slackened and gradually disappeared.