Customer Reviews

The Republic of Armenia, Vol. III: From London to Sèvres, February-August 1920

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This volume is the fourth of a series that provides a comprehensive analysis of the history of Armenia during a critical period in time. We get a clear idea of the key factors that ultimately led to the Sovietization of the first independent Armenian state. If you want to know in detail about the key conflicts between Armenians and Turks such as the battles at Sardarabad and Kars as well as the historic claims to Western Armenia then you should definitely read these books. You will also get a clear picture of history repeating itself in terms of the Armenian/Azerbaijani conflict and the role of Allied countries such as England and France. Highly recommended.

Richard G. Hovannisian's fourth and final volume on the history of the first Republic of Armenia (1918-20) marks a culmination in outstanding scholarship. Using a variety of sources and demonstrating his linguistic expertise in Armenian, French, German, Russian, and Turkish, Hovannisian chronicles the tragic end to a republic and its leaders who, though not perfect, showed much promise to establish a stable, fair, multi-ethnic democracy in a region where autocracy and oppression were the rule, rather than the exception. His mining of post-Soviet archival information effectively puts Soviet historiography to shame, as the author shows how the Bolshevik government actively supported and aided the Turkish Nationalists, led by their energetic leader Mustafa Kemal Pasha (later known to the rest of the world as Ataturk), to the ultimate detriment of the Armenian republic. The Nationalists, for their part, show little to no sympathy for a people who had underwent a genocide and who ruthlessly strive to stamp out the republic and keep it in a permanently weak state.

The Allied Powers, for the most part, demonstrate a callousness which at times beggars belief. The British Foreign Office is unable hide its annoyance after receiving numerous pleas for intervention and help from the Republic, while the French and Italians not only fail to show a fleeting interest in the plight of the Republic, but cut deals with the Turkish Nationalists in order to secure their economic presence in the region. One cannot help but admire and sympathize with the beleaguered leaders of Armenia, as they show a degree of gullibility and trust in the Western world, the Soviets, and yes, even the same leaders of the Kemalist armies massacring their way through Armenia, that borders on childish innocence.

A magnificent story and a brilliant product in historiography.

Sofar I have not recieved this book.

Hope it still comes at some point.