On the Question of the Armenian Death Toll as a Result of Smyrna Catastrophe

Abstract

This article attempts to calculate the Armenian death toll because of the 1922 Smyrna catastrophe, based on a comparative analysis of data from the main Armenian and foreign sources. For this aim the article presents and analyses: a) Historiography related to the studied question; b) Data from the most important sources on the total death toll (Greeks, Armenians and representatives of other Christian denominations), on the basis of which conclusions are made about the most probable, in our opinion, total death toll; c) Data on the numbers of the Armenian population of the city of Smyrna and its environs on the eve of the Armenian Genocide; as well as on the numbers of Armenians gathered in Smyrna on the eve of the capture of the city by the Kemalists in September 1922; d) Data on the numbers of Armenians who died because of the Smyrna catastrophe; e) Data on the numbers of Armenian refugees evacuated from Smyrna and its environs and received asylum in Greece and other countries; these data are compared with data on the numbers of the Armenian population of the western regions of Asia Minor before the Smyrna catastrophe, as of 1921; f) Question of losses among Armenians of military age, detained in Smyrna and its environs and deported to the hinterland of Turkey. According to our calculations, about 5,000-5,500 Armenians died because of the Smyrna catastrophe, of which about 4,000 died because of fire and massacres, and about 1,000-1,500 (15-45 years old men) lost their lives in captivity and exile. Armenian victims accounted for about a quarter of the total death toll (20-22,000).