First Republic of Armenia

The **First Republic of Armenia**, 1918–1920, was the first modern establishment of an Armenian republic. The country was created after the Russian Tsarist empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 that lost power. Its creation with borders were the Democratic Republic of Georgia in the north, the Ottoman Empire to the west, the Persian Empire to the south, and Azerbaijan Democratic Republic to the east.

## End of the Republic, 1920

Armenia gave way to communist power in late 1920. In September 1920, the Turkish revolutionaries moved in on the capital. First an armistice was concluded, on November 18, and then a full peace treaty - Treaty of Alexandropol on 2nd and/or 3rd of December 1920.

During that time, the Soviet 11th Red Army invasion started on the 29th of November 1920. The actual transfer of power took place on December 2 in Yerevan. Armenian leadership approved an ultimatum, presented to it by the Soviet plenipotentiary Boris Legran - who was at work as one of major Russian diplomats on Caucasus at that time. Armenia decided to join the Soviet sphere, while the Soviet Russia agreed to protect its remaining territory from the advancing Turkish army. Soviets also pledged to take steps to rebuild the army, protect the Armenians, not to pursue non-communist Armenians. None of these promises were kept.

On December 4, 1920, the Red Army entered Yerevan, the government of Armenian Republic effectively stopped working. On December 5, the Armenian Revolutionary Committee (Revkom; made up of mostly Armenians from Azerbaijan) also entered the city. Finally, on the following day, December 6, Felix Dzerzhinsky's dreaded secret police, the Cheka, entered Yerevan, thus effectively ending the existence of the Democratic Republic of Armenia.
The rest of Armenia was under control of the communist government. The part by Turkey remained for the most part theirs - by the subsequent Treaty of Kars. Soon, the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed, under the leadership of Aleksandr Miasnikyan. It was to be included into the newly created Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic.

## Related pages

- Armenia
- Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan
- Democratic Republic of Georgia

## Infobox (former country)

- **native name**: Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն
- **conventional long name**: Republic of Armenia
- **common name**: Armenia
- **continent**: Europe
- **region**: Caucasus
- **country**: Armenia
- **era**: Interwar period
- **government type**: Parliamentary republic
- **event start**: Declaration of Independence of Armenia (1918), Declaration of Independence
- **date start**: May 28
- **year start**: 1918
- **event1**: United Armenia#First Republic of Armenia: 1918.E2.80.9320, Act of United Armenia
- **date event1**: May 28, 1919
- **event end**: Sovietization
- **date end**: December 2
- **year end**: 1920
- **p1**: Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
- **flag p1**: Flag of the Transcaucasian Federation.svg
- **s1**: Republic of Mountainous Armenia
- **flag s1**: Flag of Armenia.svg
- **s2**: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
- **flag s2**: Flag of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (1922).svg
- **s3**: Turkey
- **flag s3**: Flag of Turkey.svg
- **image flag**: Flag of the First Republic of Armenia.svg
- **image coat**: Coat of Arms of the First Republic of Armenia.png
- **coa size**: 100px
- **symbol**: Coat of arms of Armenia
- **image map**: First Republic of Armenia.png
- **capital**: Yerevan
- **latd**: 40
- **latm**: 10
- **latns**: N
- **longd**: 44
- **longm**: 31
- **longew**: E
- **national anthem**: _Mer Hayrenik_
- **common languages**: Armenian language, Armenian
- **religion**: Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Apostolic
- **currency**: Armenian ruble
- **leader1**: Hovhannes Kajaznuni
- **leader2**: Alexander Khatisian
- **leader3**: Hamo Ohanjanyan
- **leader4**: Simon Vratsian
- **year leader1**: Jun 1918–May 1919
- **year leader2**: May 1919–May 1920
- **year leader3**: May–Nov 1920
- **year leader4**: Nov–Dec 1920
- **title leader**: Prime Minister of Armenia, Prime Minister
- **stat year1**: mid-1918 (after the Treaty of Batum)
- **stat pop1**: 500000
- **stat area1**: 11000
- **stat year2**: 1919 (after the Armistice of Mudros)
- **stat pop2**: 1300000
- **stat area2**: 70000
- **stat year3**: 1920 (per the Treaty of Sèvres; never realized)
- **stat area3**: 160000