Assyria

The Nation of Assyria, is a Southwest Asian nation situated between the great powers of the region: Armenia, Arabia and Persia. It borders Armenia to the north, Kurdistan to the east, and to the south the Kingdom of Arabia.

## **Prelude to modern Assyria**

Before the rebellions of the 1890s, the concept of Assyria was emerging for decades. Assyrian, Armenian and Greek nationalism was on the rise for decades for the ultimate goal of establishing a modern day Assyrian Armenian state while achieving a United Greek idea. However, this idea was directly in contrast with Kurdish and Turkish nationalism. Kurdish nationalists, for many was the dream of an established Kurdistan in eastern Anatolia, northern Mesopotamia and Persian Kurdistan. Although for centuries each of these groups lived side by side, in 1843 Kurdish militias massacred over 10000 Assyrians in south east Anatolia. This kickstarted Assyrian nationalism for many, as it showed that they possibly wouldn’t be safe if a homeland for them wasn’t established. As a result many Assyrians began rejecting the Ottomans. Literature and art depicting a new Assyria free from Kurdish and ottoman rule inspired many as well. Although the Ottomans tried to stop the distribution of these things, it was futile. They kept getting passed around and made over and over again no matter what the ottomans did. In 1876, due to the Russo-Turkish wars, Armenians and Assyrians rebelled. But this rebellion was ill prepared for the ottoman army, already in the area. What resulted lead to another massacre, helped by Kurdish irregulars, resulting in 30,000 dead (20,000 Assyrians and 10000 Armenians). This yet again sparked anti-ottoman sentiment throughout eastern Anatolia. Thus, when the rebellions began, prominent Assyrians began prepping to not make the same mistakes as in 1876.

## **Partition of the Ottoman Empire**

When Armenians rebelled in Sasoun, Assyrians patiently waited and began prepping. Evidently this rebellion wouldn’t be put down easily. Once that was clear, Assyrians began to act. They gathered any weapons they could, and joined the Armenians. Some gathered intelligence for what route the ottoman divisions were taking and began a guerilla campaign. The guerilla forces hugely helped the Armenian rebellion from failing. Finally, Assyrians began to full on rebel and pushing out ottoman forces. But months later, a food shortage began, as they only had the Armenians as neighbors. But once supplies came over through the Russian border, the Assyrians spirit was reinvigorated. And once Russian troops came, the rebellion became successful. When Kurds began to rebel again, Assyrian and Kurdish leaders made sure to strike peace with one and another, and both sides just wanted peace. Eventually, the Ottoman Empire capitulated, and Assyrian rebel leaders were invited to Baku along with all others to discuss the partition. Assyrians demanded a state encompassing part of the Syrian desert as well as Diyarbakir and Mosul. The Kurds and Arabs demanded that some of these regions, being Kurdish and Arab majority should be part of the new kurdistan and kingdom of Arabia. But Russia backed Assyria, pointing to how the Assyrians captured all of these places, except Diyarbakir, under Kurdish militias. The agreement was solved, that Kurds would be given Hakkari, despite Assyrian protest and as a result Diyarbakir would be given to assyria. Kurdish and Assyrian minorities in each country would be respected and would not need to leave en masse. But Russia also stressed an Assyria loyal to Russia only, which the Assyrians couldn’t do anything but accept. In the end, Assyrian nationalism was realized and a modern Assyrian state was created, albeit under Russian authority.

## **A Modern Assyria**

Assyria after the Ottoman Partitin began to flourish. Finally after centuries a modern Assyrian state was created. Despite the fact that it was clear no non Assyrian minorities would have to flee, many still did, causing a crisis. Assyrians from Kurdistan fled and Kurds from Assyria fled. In the end, Assyrian refugees would be settled in several abandoned Kurdish city centers and towns and villages. Once the dust finally settled, Assyrian culture began to flourish after centuries of being ruled by Muslim states and empires. Assyria through the 1900s had a population boom as well, resulting in the population doubling from 500,000 in 1896 to 1 million 40 years later. But even so, Russia ruled Assyria with autonomy. Russian literature and language was commonly taught in Assyrian schools. Thankfully, Assyria was spared any fighting during the Great War, which left many nations and cities devastated. When the Russian Revolution occurred, many Assyrians wanted to stay with Russia, but it became very clear that Russia wouldn’t be able to survive. Soon Caucasian Rebellions occurred in the north Caucasus. When Azerbaijan and Georgia declared their independence, Assyria knew they couldn’t stay with Russia, and declared their independence 3 days after Armenia did the same. Russia knew it was fruitless to regain any of these territories, and peace came to Assyria relatively quickly. Afterwards, Assyria established relations with its neighbors, and Assyria became one of the most peaceful and prosperous nations of west Asia. Assyria in 1932 decided to join the newly created alliance, called “Defense of West Asia”, a defensive pact between Armenia and Arabia. Kurdistan would join shortly after. By 1936, Assyria enjoys relative prosperity with the defense of its neighbors.