Written: Written on October 12 or 13, 1920
Published:
First published in 1965 in Collected Works, Fifth Ed., Vol. 54.
Printed from the original.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
1975,
Moscow,
Volume 44,
page 446b.
Translated: Clemens Dutt
Transcription\Markup:
R. Cymbala
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive.
You may freely copy, distribute,
display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and
commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
Archive” as your source.
• README
I propose that the Politbureau endorse all three of Chicherin’s proposals.
[1] In an effort to pit Turkey against Soviet Russia and to wreck negotiations for establishing friendly relations, the Entente leaders instigated Dashnak Armenia to attack Turkey. Dreaming of creating a “Great Armenia” which would include almost half of Asia Minor, the Dashnak government began military operations against Turkey on September 24, 1920. In this war the Dashnak army suffered defeat after defeat, while the advancing Turkish troops laid waste to the land, chased out the civilian population and organised massacres of Armenians. The war brought Armenia to the brink of complete ruin and total extermination of the population. At the beginning of October 1920, the C.C., C.P.(B.) of Armenia issued a call to the workers and peasants to overthrow the hated Dashnak yoke and establish Soviet power.
In connection with Orjonikidze’s report of the probable resignation of the Dashnak government of Armenia and of the possibility of power passing to the Communists, Chicherin proposed: = 1) to agree with the opinion of the C.C., C.P.(B.) of Armenia and the Caucasian Bureau of the C.C., R.C.P.(B.) on the necessity of decisive action for establishing Soviet power in Armenia, = 2) to afford Armenia political help in halting the further advance of the Turks, and = 3) to support the new, Soviet government.
On October 14, 1920, the Politbureau of the C.C., R.C.P.(B.) adopted Chicherin’s proposals.
Soviet power in Armenia was established on November 29, 1920, as the result of an armed uprising of the working people. For Lenin’s message of greetings to the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Committee of Armenia, see present edition, Vol. 31, p. 437.
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