Armenian diaspora
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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. See chart of population breakdown by country in article, Armenians.
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. Although many Armenians perished, others 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 1890s.
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 (Hunchak), 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 Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, South America, Syria, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.
[edit] Number of Armenians in all countries
[edit] See also
[edit] General
- History of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
- Armenian diaspora in Europe
- Armenian diaspora in the Middle East
- List of Armenians
[edit] Specific
- Armenians in Russia
- Armenians in the United States
- Armenians in Iran
- Armenians in Lebanon
- Armenians of Syria
- Armenians in Turkey
- Armenians in Egypt
- Armenians in Canada
- Armenians in Bulgaria
- Armenians in India
- Armenians in Romania
- Armenians in the Netherlands
- Armenians in Iraq
- Armenians in Myanmar
- Armenians in Turkmenistan
[edit] External links
de:Armenier in Europaes:Diáspora armenia fr:Diaspora arménienne nl:Armeense Diaspora sv:Armeniska diasporan tr:Ermeni Diasporası
