89 years ago this day Armenia declared independence from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, thus forming Democratic Republic of Armenia. It was the first sovereign republic in the history of Armenia, however the holiday was not celebrated during Soviet times, and it only achieved consistency after the collapse of the USSR. (Wikipedia)
Even though the republic was short lived, I am immensely proud for it, and I wish to join all and everybody celebrating May 28th – the Republic Day! Wish you all a proud holiday.
Unlike the Armenian Genocide Commemoration day the Armenian blogosphere (or at least the part I’m following) is not very active remembering this key event in the history of modern Armenia. Something wrong with my list? I don’t know…
David_Sand has a very thoughful post on the date:
We are somehow unlucky with the study of our own history. They taught us long ago, in soviet times, and as history is a politically charged discipline, the same event can be interpreted quite differently by historians. Of cours after the collapse of Bolshevism and disappearance of ideological barriers we were able to read a different history and even see eyewitness accounts on TV. But, as they say, “the traces remain”
[…]
Greetings on this holiday, my dear friends! For me this is a chance to reflect on the pluses and minuses of independence, and about how hard it is to gain and how easy it is tosell, loose it.
Narjan is more upbeat – this is a very good holiday, the blogger says. Well, I couldn’t agree more 🙂 Once again, wish you all a happy holiday!
OK, OK, HayBlog.ru has also posted something, but I have serious reservations whether it is a blog at all… it looks more like a news agency website, then anything else.
In fact, when the Armenian National Council in Tiflis declared Armeina independence, the Transcaucasian Federation was already defunct, Georgia had declared independence on May 26 and the Azeri Tatars on May 27.
According to Christopher’s Walker’s book, Armenia:Survival of a Nation, Armenia’s declaration of independence must be one of the most defensive documents ever written (p. 256). It read:
” In view of the dissolution of the political unirty of Transcaucasia and the new situation created by the proclamation of the independence of Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Armenian National Council declares itself the supreme and only administration for the Armenian provinces. Due to certain grave circumstances, the National Council, deferring until the near future the formation of an Armenian national government, temporarily assumes all government functions, in order to pilot the political and admninistrative helm of the Armenian provinces.”
Walker continues,
No brave words about freedom or rights, no cherished goal rhetoric, not even the phrase “Republic of Armenia”. Just a bare statement of the situation, from which one can sense the doubt , anguish and unwillingness that the Armenian leaders experienced.
Simon Vratsian, the last Prime Minister of the Republic, likened Armenia’s declaration of independence to the birth of a sick child. ( see Hayastani Hanrapetutiun, Beirut 1958, p. 177).
Pokr Mher – That the Republic was able to survive till December 1920 is of course remarkable. Betrayed by the Western “allies” it fell prey to an emerging nationalist Kemalist Turkey on one side and Bolshevik Russia on the other.
Pokr Mher post appear at the Sassna Dzrer blog (http://sassnadzrer.blogspot.com
Observer – haybloge norutynneri sait chi, ayl bloga vortex es havakum em orva amenahetakrkir horutyunnere hayeri ev Hayastani masin. Aveli shat es porzum em gtnel informaciya – vore norutynneri saiterum chek gtni 🙂
Reb Darbinyan – thank you for the comment, I’ll try to pay more attention to it from now on. Actually, I’ve been linking to it quite frequently if you have noticed, but when there is no commentary to the news, I become doubtful whether it is a blog, or a news agency website or something of that sort.