THE GOVERNOR OF THE FIRST REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

This article is devoted to one of the founders of the First Republic of Armenia (1918 – 1920) – Sahak Torosyan. During his life, he managed to combine pedagogical, literary and public-political activities, has done his best for Armenia and Armenian people in very hard period of their new history. He worked as a teacher in secondary schools, wrote a lot of novels, short stories, a large teaching manual for Armenian history and culture studying in schools, translated Russian classics, in particular – Turgenev and Gorky.

He played an essential role during the dramatic days of Sardarapat battle, being the governor of Yerevan region and military commissar. During the period of First Republic of Armenia he was a deputy at Armenian parliament,in 1920 May liberation days Sahak Torosyan replaced the Misnister of Internal Affairs and actively participated in public, social and political affairs. He managed to negotiate with Bolsheviks and soon Bolsheviks left Alexandrapol.After the Soviet state establishment, he left the political activity and decided to return to pedagogical activity and some short period worked as a teacher in Tiflis, but soon was repressed by Soviet authorities, as he was acknowledged as one of “Dashnak” party leaders, who were unpopular for new authorities. He spent a lot of years in prisons, exile, and died in 1940. He was rehabilitated only in 1989, due to Gorbachov’s “Perestroyka”.

Writing this article, we have an aim to illustrate the unknown pages of his biography, especially during the years of the Armenian I Republic. This article sheds light on the important events which took place in 1918-1920s, and we hope, that generations will know about him more due to this work.

Seda Galstyan
History Museum of Armenia