Conflict between the Turks and the Armenians was not inevitable. Thetwo peoples should have been friends. When World War I began, theArmenians and Turks had been living together for 800 years. TheArmenians of Anatolia and Europe had been Ottoman subjects for nearly400 years. There were problems during those centuries-problems causedespecially by those who attacked and ultimately destroyed the OttomanEmpire. Everyone in the Empire suffered, but it was the Turks and otherMuslims who suffered most. Judged by all econnmic and social standards,the Armenians did well under Ottoman rule. By the late nineteenth century,in every Ottoman province the Armenians were better educated and richerthan the Muslims. Armenians worked hard, it is true, but their comp;rrativeriches were largely due to European and American influence and Ottomantolerance. European merchants made Ottoman Christians their agents.European merchants gave them their business. European consuls intervenedin their behalf. The Armenians benefited from the education given to them,and not to the Turks, by American missionaries.