Armenian diaspora
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Armenian diaspora map. Copyright © 2004 Andrew Andersen |
The
Armenian diaspora is a term used to describe the communities of
Armenians living outside of
Armenia. Of the total Armenian population living worldwide (
2004 (estimated to be 8,000,000) only about 3,000,000 live in Armenia and about 120,000 in
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Although an Armenian diaspora existed since the Armenian loss of statehood in
1375 when the
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia fell to the
Mamelukes, it grew in size only after the
Armenian Genocide. Altough many Armenians perished, some managed to escape, and established themselves in various
Balkan and
Middle Eastern cities, such as
Plovdiv,
Bulgaria;
Athens,
Greece;
Beirut,
Lebanon; and
Aleppo,
Syria. However, not all Armenians stayed there. Some settled in
France and in the
U.S. as early as in the 1920s.
At first the Armenians of the diaspora lived in camps. However, as their financial situation improved, the camps grew into towns, and these towns became cities. This was the case of many of the Armenian-populated regions in
Lebanon. In time, the Armenians organized themselves by building churches, schools, community centers, etc. Various political parties and benevolent unions, such as the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF or Dashnaktsutiun), the Social-Democrat Henchagian party, and the
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), were established wherever there was a considerable number of Armenians.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the
Soviet Union was trying to extend its influence throughout the world, and especially in the Middle-East. The Social-Democrat Henchagian party, being ideologically close to communism, supported the
Soviet Union in its struggle to expand in the Middle-East. Partisans of the AGBU, supposedly being politically neutral, also supported the
Soviet Union, because
Armenia was a part of it. The ARF, despite its
socialist background was a nationalistic party, objected, as it believed in a free, independent, and united Armenia. As the ARF struggled to preserve the flag, coat of arms, and national anthem of the Independent Armenian Republic of 1918-1922, the others chose to support Soviet Armenia.
There was also a conflict between the leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Armenians had 2 Catholicoi. One of them was located in
Echmiadzin, Armenia and was supported by the Soviet
KGB, the Henchags, and the Ramgavars, while the other was located in
Antelias, Lebanon and was supported by the Dashnaks, as they thought that the Catholicosate of Echmiadzin was a tool for propagation of communism.
In the 1950s, during the climax of this conflict, there were armed clashes between partisans of the 2 "sides", and also assassination attempts, acts of desecration, etc.
The conflict eased out in 1975 during the
Lebanese Civil War, when the Armenians had to stick together in order to overcome opposing forces.
Following the expansion of
Pan-Arabism in Egypt and Syria,
Islamism in Iran, and the Lebanese Civil War, tens of thousands of Armenians emigrated from the Middle East and established themselves in the
United States,
Canada,
France, and elsewhere, where they have founded lobbies to support the Republic of Armenia and extend the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide.
Today, there are large Armenian communities in
Australia,
Belarus,
Bulgaria,
Canada,
Egypt,
France,
Georgia,
Germany,
Greece,
India,
Iran,
Iraq,
Israel,
Italy,
Jordan,
Lebanon, the
Netherlands,
Poland,
Romania,
Russia,
South America,
Syria,
Turkey,
Turkmenistan,
Ukraine, and the
United States.
*
Armenians*
Armenians in Russia*
Armenians in the United States*
Armenians in Iran*
Armenians in Lebanon*
Armenians in Turkey*
Armenians in Canada*
Armenians in Bulgaria*
Armenians in India*
Armenians in Romania*
Armenians in the Netherlands*
Armenians in Turkmenistan*
Middle Eastern Armenians*
List of Armenians
