Other premonitions were delivered to the Russian government. James Fazy, the founder of the new Geneva, said: "If mighty Russia does not realise that it should give the right of existence to all its conquered areas and turn them into a confederation, then it will collapse into itself." 25
Leroy-Beaulieu, expert on Russian affairs and particularly the Tsarist rule, accused Russian policy thus: "The Russian Empire is far too big, has too varying a climate and wields power over too many different nationalities to allow for everything and everyone to be subject to such an impossible homogeneity. From the time of the great territorial expansion, this mode of unification has been nothing more than a twisted fantasy. Diversity has made its entrance and therefore it would be wiser for this diversity to be acknowledged officially, and since the benefit of unification no longer exists, one should devote himself to national cooperation and union, even in regard to religion." The great French sociologist, knowledgeable of the political mentality in Tsarist Russia, continued in regard to their policy: "Human rights and conscience agree with the real interest of the Russian men in power. However, the expectations to worship a people or a government are too high." 26
Georg Brandes , in his turn, elaborated further on this question and descried the policy of the Russian Tsarist government of harassment and assault against the people under its power. "In 1848, when the previous century had taken a decisive step forward and was entering a new era, all imagined that the old and banal questions concerning national empires, self-governance of nations and protecting the masses, individuals, freedom of media, religion, ideas and associations were solved for ever , and one thought they would not need to be discussed any longer. Now that almost half a century has gone by since this time, there are still 130 million people in Russia who do not receive a newspaper or a book unless their protector says that it is safe. The fact alone that 100 million people have subjected themselves to such a regime has destroyed the spirit of half of Europe. Around us people still suffer under torture and oppression and the minds of wise men of the nations are still occupied with solving old problems such as faith and nationality, for which it seems impossible to find new yet tangible arguments. Whilst the most important questions remain to be solved, present human thoughts and the lives of sgenerations are wasted on meaningless and ridiculous issues." 27
The Armenian revolutionary movement took a step forward in the last decades of the 19th century, spreading anxiety amongst the Russian Tsarist government, and thereby increasing their hostility towards the Armenians. 28 Despite the main issues of the Dashnaktsoutyoun and Hntchak parties involving issues in Turkey, the Russian Tsarist government did everything in its power to destroy all social democrats, social revolutionaries and liberals within the Russian Empire.
Hundreds of Armenians, who were suspected of being supporters of revolutionary organisations, were arrested and thrown into prison in Kars and Tbilisi and many of them were exiled outside of Transcaucasia. 29 Their only crime was that the Russian government suspected them of carrying out "hostile action" against a "friendly country", namely the Ottoman Empire of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
The revolutionary or national parties formed one of the supporting pillars of the Armenian nation. The other mainstay was the Armenian Church, and the Tsar's ancillaries decided to eradicate this fundamental obstacle to the russification of the Armenians.
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