The First Republic of Armenia, Soviet Armenia, and the Armenian Diaspora
What to master
Know the First Republic of Armenia (1918–1920), declared at the end of May 1918 after the battles of Sardarabad, Bash-Aparan, and Karakilisa, with its capital at Yerevan and its precarious survival amid refugees, famine, and war. Understand the Treaty of Sèvres (1920) and its unratified promise of a large Armenia, followed by the Treaty of Lausanne (1923), which superseded it. Know the Sovietization of Armenia in late 1920 and the 1921 Treaty of Kars/Moscow arrangements fixing the Turkish-Soviet border. Understand Soviet Armenia as a republic within the USSR, its industrialization, the 1921–1922 incorporation into the Transcaucasian SFSR before becoming a union republic, and later developments such as the 1965 genocide commemorations and the 1988 Karabakh movement and earthquake. Know the formation of the diaspora: survivors and pre-genocide emigrants building communities in the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas, with institutions (church, parties, benevolent associations) and debates over identity and language retention.
Traps
Do not treat Sèvres as implemented-it was never ratified. Do not confuse the 1920 Sovietization with the 1921 border treaties. Do not assume diaspora is monolithic; religious, political, and linguistic diversity matters.
Rule of thumb
Sequence: 1918 republic → 1920 Sèvres and Sovietization → 1921 Kars/Moscow borders → Soviet decades → 1988 Karabakh movement.
Worked example
Asked why Sèvres is invoked symbolically, answer that it expressed an international commitment to an Armenian state but was never ratified and was superseded by Lausanne (1923).