Roving Revolutionaries: Armenians and the Connected Revolutions in the Russian, Iranian, and Ottoman Worlds, 1904-1912

Three of the formative revolutions that shook the early twentieth-century world occurred almost simultaneously in regions bordering each other. Though the Russian, Iranian, and Young Turk Revolutions all exploded between 1904 and 1911, they have never been studied through their linkages until now. __Roving Revolutionaries__probes the interconnected aspects of these three revolutions through the involvement of the Armenian revolutionaries—minorities in all of these empires—whose movements and participation within and across frontiers tell us a great deal about the global transformations that were taking shape. Exploring the geographical and ideological boundary crossings that occurred, Houri Berberian’s archivally grounded analysis of the circulation of revolutionaries, ideas, and print tells the story of peoples and ideologies in upheaval and collaborating with each other, and in so doing it illuminates our understanding of revolutions and movements. Presentación del editor: "This book is a study of the three contiguous and overlapping revolutions, Russian (1905), Ottoman (1908), and Iranian (1905-1911), through the lens of Armenian revolutionaries whose movements within and across these frontiers contributed to connecting the struggles as well as illuminating their study. It seeks to explore the interconnectivity of the Russian, Ottoman, and Iranian revolutions in several ways that interweave global and local. First, the study advocates a novel approach to the three revolutions, previously studied in isolation and, to a lesser degree, in comparison, that draws on a "connected histories" approach through an archivally grounded analysis of the circulation of revolutionaries, ideas, and print. The protagonists of this analysis are the roving Armenian revolutionaries and intellectuals who, because of their participation in all three revolutions, their border-crossings within the region and beyond, their adoption and interpretation of and adaptation to such influential and global ideologies as constitutionalism, federalism, and socialism become ideal subjects for a retelling of the complex story of the revolutions--a story of revolutionary linkages, of local and regional actors with global ties to big ideas. The book also aims to view the revolutions not only within their local and regional milieus but to view them as part of the global context. This approach takes into consideration the interplay of "facts on the ground," that is, phenomena particular to the region, with larger historical processes, such as revolutions in communication, transportation, and ideology that had deep and wide-ranging ramifications across the world" "This book is a study of the three contiguous and overlapping revolutions, Russian (1905), Ottoman (1908), and Iranian (1905-1911), through the lens of Armenian revolutionaries whose movements within and across these frontiers contributed to connecting the struggles as well as illuminating their study. It seeks to explore the interconnectivity of the Russian, Ottoman, and Iranian revolutions in several ways that interweave global and local. First, the study advocates a novel approach to the three revolutions, previously studied in isolation and, to a lesser degree, in comparison, that draws on a "connected histories" approach through an archivally grounded analysis of the circulation of revolutionaries, ideas, and print. The protagonists of this analysis are the roving Armenian revolutionaries and intellectuals who, because of their participation in all three revolutions, their border-crossings within the region and beyond, their adoption and interpretation of and adaptation to such influential and global ideologies as constitutionalism, federalism, and socialism become ideal subjects for a retelling of the complex story of the revolutions--a story of revolutionary linkages, of local and regional actors with global ties to big ideas. The book also aims to view the revolutions not only within their local and regional milieus but to view them as part of the global context. This approach takes into consideration the interplay of "facts on the ground," that is, phenomena particular to the region, with larger historical processes, such as revolutions in communication, transportation, and ideology that had deep and wide-ranging ramifications across the world"--Provided by publisher "This book is a study of the three contiguous and overlapping revolutions, Russian (1905), Ottoman (1908), and Iranian (1905-1911), through the lens of Armenian revolutionaries whose movements within and across these frontiers contributed to connecting the struggles as well as illuminating their study. It seeks to explore the interconnectivity of the Russian, Ottoman, and Iranian revolutions in several ways that interweave global and local. First, the study advocates a novel approach to the three revolutions, previously studied in isolation and, to a lesser degree, in comparison, that draws on a "connected histories" approach through an archivally grounded analysis of the circulation of revolutionaries, ideas, and print. The protagonists of this analysis are the roving Armenian revolutionaries and intellectuals who, because of their participation in all three revolutions, their border-crossings within the region and beyond, their adoption and interpretation of and adaptation to such influential and global ideologies as constitutionalism, federalism, and socialism become ideal subjects for a retelling of the complex story of the revolutions--a story of revolutionary linkages, of local and regional actors with global ties to big ideas. The book also aims to view the revolutions not only within their local and regional milieus but to view them as part of the global context. This approach takes into consideration the interplay of "facts on the ground," that is, phenomena particular to the region, with larger historical processes, such as revolutions in communication, transportation, and ideology that had deep and wide-ranging ramifications across the world"--De l'éditeur Three of the formative revolutions that shook the early twentieth-century world occurred almost simultaneously in regions bordering each other. Though the Russian, Iranian, and Young Turk Revolutions all exploded between 1904 and 1911, they have never been studied through their linkages until now. Roving Revolutionaries probes the interconnected aspects of these three revolutions through the involvement of the Armenian revolutionaries—minorities in all of these empires—whose movements and participation within and across frontiers tell us a great deal about the global transformations that were taking shape. Exploring the geographical and ideological boundary crossings that occurred, Houri Berberian’s archivally grounded analysis of the circulation of revolutionaries, ideas, and print tells the story of peoples and ideologies in upheaval and collaborating with each other, and in so doing it illuminates our understanding of revolutions and movements. Three of the formative revolutions that shook the early twentieth-century world occurred almost simultaneously in regions bordering each other. Though the Russian, Iranian, and Young Turk Revolutions all exploded between 1904 and 1911, they have never been studied through their linkages until now. Roving Revolutionaries probes the interconnected aspects of these three revolutions through the involvement of the Armenian revolutionaries--minorities in all of these empires--whose movements and participation within and across frontiers tell us a great deal about the global transformations that were taking shape. Exploring the geographical and ideological boundary crossings that occurred, Houri Berberian's archivally grounded analysis of the circulation of revolutionaries, ideas, and print tells the story of peoples and ideologies in upheaval and collaborating with each other, and in so doing it illuminates our understanding of revolutions and movements. Contents List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments A Note on Transliteration 1. Connected Revolutions: Local and Global Contexts 2. “Active and Moving Spirits of Disturbance”: Circulation of Men, Arms, and Print 3. The Circulation of Ideas and Ideologies: Constitutionalism and Federalism 4. Connected through and beyond Reading: Socialism across Imperial Frontiers 5. “The Egoism of the Cured Patient”: (In Lieu of a) Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index