The Armenian National Congress (or Congress of Eastern ArmeniansTer-Minassian p.30) was a political congress established to provide representation for Armenians of the Russian Empire.Adalian p.76 It first met at the Artistic Theatre in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

on .Hovannisian ''Armenia on the Road to Independence'', p.87 Its formation was prompted by the opportunities the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

provided for

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

(and other minority nationalities in Russia) towards the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Members

The congress consisted of 204 members from all over the Russian Empire, with only Armenian

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

refusing to take part for ideological reasons. It was dominated by the Dashnak Party. The composition along party lines was as follows: *Dashnaks: 113 representatives * Populists: 43 representatives *Socialist Revolutionaries: 23 representatives *Social Democrats: 9 representatives *No party: 7 representatives *There was also a small number of representatives from

Western Armenia Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...

, including Andranik Ozanian.

Functioning

Since a real government did not exist in the

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

province of

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

, the Armenian National Congress served as a government for the province. According to Richard Hovannisian, the Congress was "the most comprehensive Eastern Armenian gathering since the Russian conquest of

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

". The immediate objectives of the Congress were to devise a strategy for the war effort, provide relief for refugees, and provide local autonomy for various Armenian-run institutions throughout the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...

. The Congress also called for the militarization of the Caucasus front. The Armenian National Congress supported the policies of the

Russian Provisional Government The Russian Provisional Government ( rus, Временное правительство России, Vremennoye pravitel'stvo Rossii) was a provisional government of the Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediately ...

concerning the war, and also suggested redrawing provincial boundaries along ethnic lines. The Congress was instrumental in the

secularization In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses ...

of Armenian schools and the nationalization of secondary Armenian schools. The Congress met for 18 sessions before it dissolved on .

Legacy

Before dissolving, the Congress created a National Assembly of 35 members to act as a legislative body for Armenians in the Russian Empire. It also created an executive body of 15 members called the Armenian National Council, headed by

Avetis Aharonian Avetis Aharonian () (4 January 1866 – 20 March 1948) was an Armenian politician, writer, public figure and revolutionary, also part of the Armenian national movement. Biography Aharonian was born in 1866 in Surmali, Erivan Governorate, Ru ...

. This council eventually declared independence for the

First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...

led by

Aram Manukian Aram Manukian, reformed spelling: Արամ Մանուկյան, and he is also referred to as simply Aram. (19 March 187929 January 1919), was an Armenian revolutionary, statesman, and a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (D ...

in May 1918.

References

Sources

*Richard G. Hovannisian ''Armenia on the Road to Independence'' (University of California, 1967) *Richard G. Hovannisian ''The Republic of Armenia: The First Year 1918-19'' (University of California, 1971) *Rouben Paul Adalian ''Historical Dictionary of Armenia'' (Scarecrow Press, 2010) *Anahide Ter-Minassian ''La République d'Arménie 1918-20'' (Éditions Complexe, 2006 ed.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Armenian National Congress (1917) Armenian diaspora in Georgia (country) 1910s in Armenia History of Tbilisi 1917 establishments in Russia 1917 conferences