The Republic of Armenia, Vol. III: From London to Serves, February-August 1920, Richard Hovannisian (hardcover)

Despite the Western orientation of the government of the Republic of Armenia, the United States and European powers withdrew much of their support for the new republic, and, by the beginning of 1920, the Allied Powers proposed a united Armenian state with boundaries considerably smaller than previously anticipated. As the Republic approached its second anniversary, the future remained unclear.

The third volume of Richard G. Hovannisian’s monumental The Republic of Armenia focuses on the regional and international developments in 1920 that determined the future of the Armenian people. The Treaty of Sevres, concluded in August of that year, created a united, independent Armenian state—at least on paper—and authorized the President of the United States to draw its final boundaries within given limits. Yet the same powers were unwilling to use armed force to implement their award to Armenia. Meanwhile, the Russian Civil War turned to favor the Bolsheviks; and as the Red Army poured into neighbor Azerbaijan, the Armenian government was faced with internal subversion and the need to reassess its political orientation.