The Demographic Environment of the Manifestation of Armenian Political Thought in the Second Half of the 18th Century (A Theoretical Classification Attempt)

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 16th century, Armenia had been under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and Persia. Armenians in their own homeland had not only lost the opportunity to restore statehood but also had to face the conditions of unequal status in social relations with the Muslim conquerors. The changes taking place in Armenia do not bypass such a delicate sphere as the demographic environment, which was greatly influenced by the resettlement of foreign ethnic elements, creating new realities for Armenians. The second half of the 18th century was distinguished by the clear fixation of new realities, which also influenced the formation and spread of the political environment and ideas, in particular, the Armenian melik circle finally lost to foreign rulers, and the search for foreign political support acquired a clear direction in the form of the Russian Empire, but with Armenian (St. Etchmiadzin and Artsakh), Indian Armenian (Madras) and Russian Armenian (St. Petersburg and Astrakhan) centers of the liberation movement, each of whom had different ideas and motives. The aim of our work is to present the differences in the ideas of the centers of the liberation movement, based on the peculiarities of their demographic environment.