Final Answer:
The war contributed to the mass murder of the Armenian people through a series of events, including the Ottoman Empire's involvement in World War I and the subsequent implementation of policies that targeted the Armenian population, leading to widespread atrocities and loss of life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Ottoman Empire's decision to enter World War I in 1914 placed immense strain on its resources and led to a chaotic and desperate internal situation. As the war unfolded, the Ottoman government, under the leadership of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), implemented a policy of ethnic cleansing against the Armenian population. This policy was manifested through the Armenian Genocide, characterized by forced deportations, mass killings, and other atrocities. The war provided a pretext for the Ottoman government to carry out these actions, as they saw the Armenian minority as a potential threat during a time of conflict.
The war-induced instability and the Ottoman Empire's desire to consolidate its power and homogenize the population fueled the mass murder of Armenians. The Young Turk government, in power during the war, exploited the chaos of the conflict to execute a systematic plan to eliminate the Armenian presence within the empire. The wartime conditions created an environment conducive to the implementation of such policies, and the Ottoman authorities took advantage of the global distraction to carry out their genocidal agenda. The war, therefore, acted as a catalyst for the mass murder of the Armenian people, with geopolitical circumstances and internal power struggles converging to create a tragic chapter in history.