Armenian national movement

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Coalition of forces
For the political party under Armenia; see Armenian national movement (party)

Armenian national movement, "Armenian national liberation movement" or before establishment of First Armenian Republic commonly known as "Armenian revolutionary movement" was the Armenian effort to re-establish an Armenian state in the historic Armenian homelands of eastern Asia Minor and the Transcaucasus. The Armenian national movement, besides its individual heroes (see: national heros), was an organized activity represented around three parties of Armenian people, Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, Armenakan and Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which ARF was the largest and most influential among the three.


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[edit] National awakening (1800s-1914)

An Armenian Fedayee with his wife and children.
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An Armenian Fedayee with his wife and children.

During the 19th century, along with the other national awakening movements, Armenian thinkers/writers who promote the use of new concepts developed national cultural products. The first concepts developed by the thinkers/writers who studied in the Western Europe under the legacy of the French Revolution of 1789. They were highly educated (Doctors, educators, stc) which had democratic-liberal ideology and the concept of the rights of man. The second wave come with the Russian revolutionary though. Armenian revolutionary movement, at the end of 19th century, was based on a socialist ideology, specifically with its Marxist variant. There was only one problem, the materialism and class struggle did not directly apply to the realities of Ottoman Empire (so Ottoman Armenians) as much as the Armenians in the Russian Empire. The Armenians supported the Young Turk Revolution, as it was just natural that these concepts (tendencies, attitudes and feelings) were present in varying proportions among Armenians with the turn of 20th century[1] ARF, in the early 20th century was socialists, and marxist which can be seen from the party's first program[2] After the revolution, the Ottoman Empire in the second Constitutional Era (Ottoman Empire) was struggling to keep its territories and promoting the Ottomanism among its citizens. During the same time the Armenian Revolutionary Federation was moving out of this context and developing, what was just a normal extension of its national freedom concept, the concept of the "Independent Armenian State". With this national transformation Armenian Revolutionary Federation's activities become a national cause.[3]

[edit] Ottoman Empire

See also: Armenian rebellions

The movement organized the Armenian Rebellions under the Ottoman Empire managed to establish the First Armenian Republic during the World War I, the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire had oscillated between the ideas of republic and autonomous region in the empire during the history of Ottoman democracy with organizations like Social Democrat Hunchakian Party and Armenakan.

[edit] Russian Empire

[edit] Persian Empire

[edit] Europe

See also: Armenian Patriotic Society of Europe and Armenian General Benevolent Union

The significant European movements begin with the Armenian settlements in France and in the U.S. as early as in the 1890s. The previous migrations are minor or not statistically significant. Various political parties and benevolent unions, such as branches for the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF or Dashnaktsutiun), the Social-Democrat Henchagian party (Hunchak), and the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), were established wherever there was a considerable number of Armenians.

[edit] World War One

See also: French-Armenian Agreement (1916)

French-Armenian Agreement (1916) October 27, 1916, was the political and military accord regarding the support of Armenian nationalist for the support of activities during the World War One.

[edit] First Republic

See also: Democratic Republic of Armenia

THe first national republic was achieved by the Armenians under the Russian control which devised a national congress at October of 1917. The convention in Tiflis was concluded in September of 1917 with delegates from former Romanov realm (203), which 103 belonged to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. When the first Republic of Armenia (Democratic Republic of Armenia) was proclaimed in 1918, the ARF became the ruling party.

However, despite their tight grip on power (Drastamat Kanayan (Ministry of Defense) and Aram Manougian (Ministry of Interior)), the ARF was unable to stop the impending Communist invasion from the north, which culminated with a Soviet takeover in 1920. The ARF was banned, its leaders exiled and many of its members dispersed to other parts of the world.

[edit] Soviet Armenia

Soviet period cultivated consolidation of Armenian culture and identity through promotion of the Armenian language. Also a number of cultural institutions were established. However, the development of the national identity over ethnic definition was suppressed. Armenian Apostolic church was also lost some grounds (not promoted).

[edit] 1980, Renewal and forward

Beginning with the glasnost the unhappiness of the populations began to be expressed as national identity and liberation desires. 1988 earthquake was a turning point for the national identity development.

[edit] 1991, Independence

The maturation of national identity occurred with the Independence of the Armenia.

[edit] New branch with Karabakh

[edit] See Also

[edit] References

  • Arman J. Kirakossian, British Diplomacy and the Armenian Question, from the 1830s to 1914, ISBN 1-884630-07-3

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Der Minassian, Anahide, "Nationalisme et socialisme dans le Mouvement Revolutionnaire Armenien", in "LA QUESTION ARMENIENNE", Paris, 1983, pp. 73-111.
  2. ^ Documents for the history of the ARF, II, 2nd Edition, Beirut, 1985, pp. 11-14
  3. ^ Dasnabedian, Hratch, "The ideological creed" and "The evolution of objectives" in "A BALANCE-SHEET OF THE NINETY YEARS", Beirut, 1985, pp. 73-103
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