Armenia's First Republic: The Battle for Independence

The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History · Sep 7, 2026 · 8m · transcript

In the spring of 1918, three weeks after declaring independence from the collapsing Russian Empire, the Armenian National Council faced annihilation. With the Ottoman Fifth Army advancing toward Yerevan and their own forces depleted by war and genocide, the newly formed Democratic Republic of Armenia had no army to speak of, only a handful of irregulars and desperate volunteers. This episode details the critical summer of 1918, focusing on the leadership of Aram Manukian in defending the capital and the decisive confrontation at Sardarabad. We explore how a fractured population, lacking…