Between 1918 and 1920, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a wider struggle tied to local violence, shifting alliances, and disputes over regions including Karabakh, Nakhchivan, and Zangezur. The conflict stayed unresolved largely because external powers and local forces kept changing the balance. This prolonged war weakened Armenia’s capacity just as new threats were emerging in 1920.
After the Russian Empire fell apart in 1917, leaders in the South Caucasus tried to hold the region together in a single state. On 1918-04-22, they proclaimed the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR), but it was fragile and short-lived. Its breakup set the stage for Armenia’s separate bid for statehood.
From 1918-05-21 to 1918-05-29, Armenian forces fought the Ottoman army near Sardarabad (Sardarapat), close to Yerevan. The Armenian victory helped stop the immediate threat of Ottoman capture of the core Armenian-populated area. This battlefield survival was crucial for an independent Armenian government to emerge days later.
With the TDFR collapsing, the Armenian National Council declared Armenia’s independence on 1918-05-28. This created the First Republic of Armenia, with Yerevan as its capital, in a moment of war, famine, and mass displacement. The new state began with limited territory and urgent security and humanitarian problems.
On 1918-06-04, Armenia and the Ottoman Empire (along with Georgia and Azerbaijan) signed the Treaty of Batum in Batumi. The treaty forced Armenia to accept harsh terms while the Ottoman army still held strong leverage. It showed how the new republic’s early diplomacy was shaped by military pressure.
In 1918-08, Armenia moved from emergency governance toward formal institutions. The opening of a parliament signaled an effort to build a functioning state despite extreme shortages and insecurity. This step mattered because legitimacy and administration were needed to mobilize resources, diplomacy, and defense.
On 1918-10-30, the Ottoman Empire signed the Armistice of Mudros, ending major hostilities with the Allies in World War I’s Middle East theater. Ottoman withdrawal and Allied occupation rights reshaped power in the region. For Armenia, this created both opportunity (Ottoman retreat) and uncertainty (new external powers and contested borders).
From 1918-12-07 to 1918-12-31, Armenia and Georgia fought over contested districts, including the Lori (Borchaly) area. The conflict ended under British mediation, with Lori becoming a neutral zone. It highlighted how unclear borders after empire collapse could quickly turn into armed conflict, even among new republics.
On 1920-08-10, the Treaty of Sèvres was signed between the Allied powers and representatives of the Ottoman government. The treaty included provisions for an independent Armenia, but it was rejected by the Turkish nationalist movement and later replaced by a different settlement. For Armenia, Sèvres raised expectations of international support that did not match the military reality on the ground.
In late 1920, forces aligned with the Turkish Grand National Assembly advanced into Armenian-held areas. The fall of Kars on 1920-10-30 was a major turning point, undermining Armenia’s defensive line and triggering mass flight. Military defeat rapidly narrowed Armenia’s options and increased pressure from both Turkey and Soviet forces.
In late November 1920, Bolshevik revolutionary committees advanced and proclaimed Soviet rule in Armenia. On 1920-12-02, an agreement was signed to transfer authority, declaring Armenia an “independent socialist soviet republic” under a revolutionary committee (Revkom). This marked the effective end of the First Republic’s independent governance.
In the early hours of 1920-12-03, Armenian representatives signed the Treaty of Alexandropol with the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The treaty is widely described as invalid because Armenia’s government had already resigned and power had shifted under Sovietization. Even so, it reflected Armenia’s collapse under dual military pressure and foreshadowed the border framework later confirmed in subsequent agreements.
First Republic of Armenia (1918–1920)