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Index

Armenia

The Urartu Civilisation

Victory for Independence

Artashisian Dynasty on the Armenian Throne

Armenia caught between Rome and the Arsacids

The Acceptance of Christianity

Defending Christianity

Armenia Under the Bagratouni Dynasty

Cilicia - the New Armenia

Armenia Under Turanian Rule

The Renaissance or the Resurrection of Armenia

The Eastern Question

Russia in the Caucasus

The Armenian Question

Battle on Two Fronts

Tsarist Russia Against the Armenians

The Revolution of the Young Turks and the Armenian People on the Eve of World War I

The First World War

The Resurrection of Armenia

Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

- Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

Eastern Armenia

Western Armenia

"The Fateful Years" (1914-1917)

"Hopes and Emotions" (March-October, 1917)

The Bolshevik Revolution and Armenia

Transcaucasia Adrift (November, 1917

Dilemmas (March-April, 1918)

War and Independence (April-May, 1918)

The Republics of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia

The Suppliants (June-October, 1918)

In conclusion

Soviet Armenia

The Second Independent Republic of Armenia

Epilogue

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The Question of Bolshevik-Dashnakist Collaboration

An interesting topic never broached by Soviet historians is the secret contact between Armenian Bolsheviks and Dashnaktsoutiun. Publicly, the Bolshevik press disparaged the Federation's tactics. Formation of the volunteer units, allegiance to the Provisional Government, and participation in the Commissariat were examples of its anti-proletarian activity. In like manner, Dashnaktsoutiun heckled the "traitorous sons" of Armenian people. Nonetheless, the leaders of both factions had much in common. They had been nurtured by the Russian revolutionary movement, had struggled against tsarism, and had shared the deprivations of imprisonment and exile. Some had been classmates and or erstwhile comrades. Thus, informal contact despite official opposition was not inconceivable. There were even members of the Sovnarkom who did not oppose a rapprochement with Dashnaktsoutiun. Throughout Russia, Armenian societies associated with the National Council in Tiflis were tolerated in the first months after the Bolshevik coup. Trotsky personally guaranteed the safety and unrestricted travel of the Dashnakist representatives in central Russia. Whereas many non-Bolsheviks fled from Petrograd, Dr. Zavriev returned to the capital from Transcaucasia and, with Liparit Nazariants, sought an agreement with the Sovnarkom. 27 Similarly, under the auspices of the Baku Armenian Council, Dashnaktsoutiun dispatched first Rostom Zorian, then Artashes Chilingarian, to confer with the new masters of Russia. 28 Even in Tiflis, when the Commissariat, at Menshevik insistence, smashed Bolshevik newspapers and ordered the arrest of Shahoumian, the Armenian nationalist party shielded its Bolshevik compatriots and secretly directed them to safety. 29 All the while, the two organisations officially continued to deprecate one another.

There is, of course, an explanation to the paradox. From the Armenian point of view, the most formidable problem was the threat to a Turkish offensive into the Caucasus. Measures had to be taken to escape the fate of Western Armenia. Dashnaktsoutiun adopted two distinct tactics. It endeavoured, on the one hand, to form a solid bloc with the other anti-Communist parties of Transcaucasia. United, Georgians, Tatars, and Armenians might repel the Ottomans, and, even if unsuccessful, the Armenians would suffer much less if they shared a common fate with their fellow Transcaucasians. This policy was undermined, however, by distrust of those neighbours. Joint Christian-Moslem resistance to the Ottomans was no likely, and, even assuming that it were, the Georgians and Tatars would undoubtedly abandon the Armenians if the Turkish armies were victorious. With these views, the Armenians naturally warranted the reproach and suspicion of both Tatars and Georgians. On the other hand, although Bolshevism did not offer the ideal political-economic system to most Armenians, it did in 1918 represent Great Russia. That Armenian anticipation of a brighter future was associated with a powerful Russia has repeatedly been indicated. The Armenian political mentality was so permeated by this conviction that Dashnaktsoutiun groped for a modus vivendi with Bolshevism. There would be mutual advantages, for the Armenian Marxists, leaders with few followers, could then work freely to spread their doctrine into every village and every social stratum. Evidently, Dashnaktsoutiun hoped that if one political tactic failed, the other would safeguard the Armenian people.

Ruben Ter Minasian, member of the Bureau, supreme body of Dashnaktsoutiun, has disclosed pertinent information concerning negotiations with Stepan Shahoumian and other Bolsheviks. Assertedly, Shahoumian pledged to do everything in his power to reinforce the front with Russian troops, accepted the administrative repartition of Transcaucasia as proposed in the Ozakom conferences, authorised the use of Russian contingents to protect the Armenian provinces of the Caucasus and to support the local native units in the mountainous portion of Elisavetpol guberniia, and promised to reopen the communication routes from Baku to Tiflis and Yerevan. Until the fulfilment of those terms, the Bolsheviks were not to incite any disturbances in western Transcaucasia and Dashnaktsoutiun would continue its anti-Communist activity and propaganda. But when the Sovnarkom had completed its share of the bargain, Dashnaktsoutiun would unite with the Bolsheviks to seize control of all Transcaucasia. 30 Russian orientation among the Armenians out-weighted aversion to communism. The project was neither confirmed not enacted by the contracting sides and there is little record of Dashnakist-Bolshevik cooperation in western Transcaucasia, but the undisguised collaboration in Baku from March through July, 1918, is abundantly documented. There, the Bolshevism possessed an influential leadership while Dashnaktsoutiun controlled the Armenian masses and troops. Both parties recognised as mutual enemies the Musavat organisation and the Moslem "Savage Division." To the Armenians of Baku, Bolshevism was equivalent to "Russianism" while Musavatism was synonymous with "Turkism".