Duke of Argyll K.G. K.T.
The widespread massacres of Ottoman Armenians in 1895-1896, during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, led to much soul searching in Great Britain. These massacres represented the failure of British statesmen who had sought to reform the Ottoman Empire as a bulwark against Russia, while trying to protect the Christian communities within the empire. George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll (1823-1900), a former cabinet member and statesman in Great Britain, wrote this booklet in 1896, arguing that Great Britain had a moral responsibility towards Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. He represented the liberal wing of British politics, which was at deep odds with the colder tradition of government represented by Benjamin Disraeli.
