|
|
|
Armenian
National Uprising By Andrew Andersen and Georg Egge
|
|
|
|
The
National Uprising and the fall of the Republic of Highland Armenia, According to the Bolsheviks who took what
was left of Armenia in early December 1920, the Soviet domination in the
South Caucasus was a guarantee of peace and stability. However, the Soviet
Armenia had a chance to enjoy only 9 weeks of relative peace and only on a
part of its territory. As of today, it is extremely hard to define
where exactly were the borders of the Soviet Armenia between early December
of 1920 and early February, 1921. All of the Kars territory and the counties
of Surmala and Alexandropol were firmly in Turkish hands. Kemalist troops
also remained in parts of Echmiadzin, Nakhichevan and Sharur-Daralaghez
counties where they shared power with the military administration of the
Soviet Russian 11th Army. Despite the declaration of Azrevkom of December 1, 1920, the
so-called “Soviet Socialist Republic of Nakhichevan” proclaimed on July 21,
1920 was still not abolished and its leaders were openly leaning towards
cooperation with Turkey[1].
The county of Zanghezur now formally part of the Soviet Armenia as well, was
an arena of mass anti-Soviet resistance since October 10, 1920. By the end of
December the rebels and irregular troops of General Njdeh chased the Soviets
and Turks out of the whole of the county of Zanghezur, and on December 25,
1920 the Autonomous Republic of Syunik
was declared in Tatev[2].
Gareghin Njdeh and Tatev monastery (photo by Tess
Hughes ) where his staff was located in 1920-21 Basing on the above one can assume that in
early winter of 1920-21 the territory of Soviet Armenia encompassed basically
the counties of Nor-Bayazet and Kazakh and partially, Echmiadzin and Erevan.
As for the Mountainous Karabakh, it has been controlled by Soviet Russian
military administration and local Soviets at least until June 1921 when an
envoy of the Soviet Armenia (A. Mravyan) was finally sent to run area[3]. On February 11, 1921, the Soviets launched
an attack on Georgia, the last pro-western country in the South Caucasus to
be conquered by the Bolsheviks and the Kemalists. Just like the Soviet
invasion of Armenia in November, 1920, the invasion of Georgia started with
staging a communist “popular revolt” in a few ethnic Armenian villages of the
disputed county of Borchalo where the overthrow of the legitimate government
of Georgia was proclaimed on February 16, 1920, and the Soviet military help
requested[4]. While the major forces of the 11th
Army of the Soviet Russia assisted by some Armenian troops re-organized into
“Armenian Red Army” were busy fighting the fierce battles in Georgia, the
national uprising caused by the Bolshevik terror and abuse of power started
in Armenia on February 13, 1921[5].
Supported by the national forces from Syunik (Zanghezur), the rebels by the
end of February 16, 1921, took over Erevan, Nor-Bayazet and most of the
territory that had been under de-facto jurisdiction of the Soviet Armenia in
early February, except the county of Kazakh and the small area north of the
Semyonovsky pass (a few miles south-east of Dilijan). The Soviet regime was
overthrown, the new government formed and the Red Army started withdrawal
unable to suppress the uprising and continue the war in Georgia at the same
time.
Om March 18th, 1921, the
government of abandoned and defeated Georgian Democratic Republic signed
capitulation to the Soviets, and the Red Army became free to turn on Armenia.
Ten days later the Soviet offensive started in Armenia and on April 2 Erevan
was retaken by the Reds. After the fall of the capital, Armenian rebels
continued desperate fight in the mountains of Daralaghez, Zanghezur and
partially Karabakh. On April 15, the Republic
of Highland Armenia was proclaimed by the rebels in Tatev (Zanghezur) in
an attempt to save the last stronghold of Armenian independence, but
overwhelmed by iteratively superior Soviet troops the defendants of the
Highland Armenia were finally defeated in the battles of summer, 1921 and on
the 13th of July the last rebels under General Njdeh retreated
across the border into Iran[6]
and the process of restoration of Armenian independence in the 20th
century was interrupted for decades until the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The anticommunist uprising in Armenia was
definitely one of the factors behind the decision of Kremlin to revoke the
transfer of Karabakh and Nakhichevan to Soviet Armenia. However, it is
generally believed that the fierce resistance of almost all social groups of
Armenian population in Zanghezur prevented its incorporation into Soviet
Azerbaijan. Another factor that decided the future of Zanghezur was also the
re-settlement of some 30 000 Armenian refugees from Mush in Bitlis in that
mountainous area after the final destruction of Western Armenia by the Turks
in 1918[7].
Those refugees added to local Armenian population already residing in the
county of Zanghezur, changed the ethnic makeup of the area making it
predominantly Armenian not only historically but also ethnically. |
|
|
