1918–1920 were particularly hard times; the First World War, the Genocide of 1915 and lasting wars with the Turks had left behind hundreds of thousands of refugees. Finally, the Armenian people gained the independence they had been dreaming of for ages. The First Republic of Armenia was established, ready to move on and withstand all difficulties. Despite all these hardships, the Ministry of Reconstruction and Public Assistance had representatives both in Georgia and Azerbaijan, making allocations to fulfill the basic needs of the Armenians, living in Georgia and Azerbaijan. One Minister often headed up more than one Ministry at the time since there were problems within the Republic, as well as urgent issues related to borders’ defense, weapon acquisition and foreign relations. In general, the Ministers of those times were literate and highly educated national leaders.