The Armenians, who are the descendants of Urartians, were in power in the mid-9th century B.C. However, the kingdom of Urartians gradually declined and after its reemergence as Armenia, it was again conquered by the Medes in the 6th century. After that, the Armenians underwent different struggles, which made them be displaced from other areas in which they settled. They were conquered severally by different communities and deported. These movements caused the Armenians to be scattered outside the territories of Armenia in areas such as Russia, Turkey, Georgia, and the Middle East where they sought safety. The genocide reduced the Armenian community as most people lost their lives, and some ran away to safety during this period. Despite having undergone a genocide, the Armenians exist in many parts of the world, including Armenia, and have contributed to the economic, political, and social growth of the countries they live in.
ECONOMY GROWTH
Armenia has been doing well economically over the past years, and it was named the second-best in Central Asia and Europe and due to its high GDP. Also, it has contributed to the economic growth of the different regions. Economic prosperity has been caused by Armenia’s involvement in activities that lead to the economic activities such as trade of the regions that it inhabits with other regions. Armenians were regarded as a part of the Ottoman empire in 1453 after the Byzantine Empire was conquered. Being a part of the people required them to pay a ‘special tax known as the Jizye in addition to other taxes even though they were not treated equally to the original inhabitants. Also, the Armenian Mokalakeebi’s ensured that they maintained their economic positions (Blauvelt 72). Paying taxes and being economically stable allowed the Armenians to contribute positively, indirectly or directly, to the economic growth of the regions they lived in despite their challenges. Also, most of the Armenia people migrated to Russia to offer seasonal labor or long-term employment. The existence of labor enabled Russia to contribute to most Armenian households’ crucial survival strategy (Terzyan 132). This was able to help enhance the Russian-Armenia alliance that was important in overcoming different situations.
Also, Armenia was able to bring the Russian leadership in the Eurasian Economic Union to an end, which gave them a chance to advance towards the E.U. These foreign policy changes were made by the newly-elected prime minister Niko Pashinyan who listened and acted to the Armenian’s plight. Before the changes, the union was dominant, negatively affecting Russian interests (Aram 128). This move was important in the economic growth of Russia. Armenia’s plight was heard because of the consensus between the Armenians, which also led to the strategic development of Armenia and Russian relations (Aram 129). Armenians commitment to be fully involved in the union was beneficial to the country since it also enabled the integration of some targeted institutions. It also found new ways of creating mechanisms for cooperation that enhanced trade.
ENHANCING TRADE
Trade is critical for the improvement of a country’s economic growth. Countries’ involvement in the exchange of goods or services with other countries enhances trade within the countries. Russia is the leading external trade partner of Armenia. Armenia can export 20% of its products to Russia and source 70% of its revenue from the exports (Aram 129). Russia is also the country that contributes greatly to Armenia’s foreign investments. Armenia’s trade with Russia has contributed to Russian increasing the number of enterprises to 1,440, all of which are involved in raising foreign capital. Trade is only possible if the politics of a country or region are favorable. Armenia’s economic positions have significantly contributed to the creation of favorable environments that enhance trade.
INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICS
Armenia’s involvement in politics has provided the Armenia people with a chance to be recognized in foreign lands. Armenia has contributed both in foreign land politics and even in their homeland politics. After the defeat of the Ottomans by the Russians, Armenian formed their political groups. The Armenian volunteers greatly aided the Russian victory over the Ottomans. This made the Armenian’s become affluent and prominent in the Russian capital, Instanbul, and this increased their recognition in the society. The recognition involved the Armenian parliament members regarding the Armenian community as an important contributory factor in the Armenian and Russian relations, and they warned of the repercussions of imposing high costs on the community if the people were neglected (Aram 132). This ensured that there were efforts by both Armenians and Russia to ensure that the community was safe from any harmful external forces.
In addition, the geopolitical processes that were formed in the early 20th century led to the creation of the First Republic of Armenia and Armenian statehood. The two governments were formed in Eastern Armenia in 1918 (Alexanyan and Ashot 28). However, a revolution began in 1917, which aided in the radical transformations of the monarchial political system. These changes were influenced by the political and social differences and the challenges that most of the Armenians were going through (Alexanyan and Ashot 25). Although the revolution caused political instability, the people of Russia could utilize their self-determination to gain independence (Alexanyan and Ashot 25). During the great reforms, the Armenian’s in different towns of Tiflis was able to use different media such as journals, and newspaper in combination with political organizations to express their identities (Blauvelt 71). Armenian Mokalakeebi were able to preserve their positions in the municipal administration, allowing them to rise in high government ranks (Blauvelt 72). The political success enabled Armenia to contribute significantly to the security of different regions together with Russia.
SECURITY ENHANCEMENT AND SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT
Security is important for a country to thrive politically, economically, and socially. The South Caucasus region was greatly affected by the lack of peace between the Armenias and neighboring regions such as Azerbaijan and Turkey. This led to Armenian strategically involving Russia as its security ally to create peace in the region (Terzyan 158). The Armenian-Russian alliance created an irreplaceable partnership that was able to act when security threats emerged from the mentioned regions. The alliance has been a significant talk as the Armenian political leadership view it as a vital security partnership. The alliance has also led to Russian troops located on the border of Armenia and Turkey to protect Armenia from the hostilities caused by the Turkish-Azerbaijani. This placed Russia in a position of a ‘security provider’ (Terzyan 159-160). The sense of security created in the regions was important in defining their identity and being more interactive.
CREATION OF SOCIAL IDENTITIES AND RELIGION
Previously, most of the people in the different regions were not aware of their true identities. It reached a time when each community was eager to identify itself. By the end of the 19th century, Georgians had notable differences in culture and social class, which intensified into racial stereotypes. This made the Georgians question their identity, which led them to define it by encouraging the first generation of the Georgian nationalist elites (Blauvelt and Berglund 71). Armenia was able to adopt Christianity as the state religion (Nalbantian and Tsolin 272). The religion spread after Jesus’ death, and the apostles from the Armenian Apostolic church were able to spread the gospel in Armenia.
Armenian’s mass killing by the Ottomans during World War one significantly affected the community’s population. The genocide was a systematic murder that risked the existence of the ethnic Armenians. Despite the negatives the genocide had, it also had some positives by creating political, social, and economic growth in Armenia, Russia, Turkey, and Georgia. Most regions such as Azerbaijan, Caucasus, and Turkey were able to regain peace in their regions. There were major changes made to major economic unions, such as the Eurasian Economic Union with the aid of Armenia. Some of the regions, such as Georgia and Armenia, were able to redefine their identity by getting to know their cultures better. The genocide can therefore be seen as a blessing in disguise. However, it is important to note that the Armenian case is one of the many cases that changed for the better; most cases end up causing detrimental consequences to communities. Therefore, it is important for peace to prevail among communities and for the minority communities to be preserved by all means.
