Tseghakronism

The term "Tseghakronism", as well as the ideology itself, was coined by Garegin Nzhdeh. The word "tsegh-a-kron" was formed by combining two nouns: • tsegh () (nation/race), and • kron () (religion). For Nzhdeh, the concept of "tsegh" is broader than the definition provided by anthropology. In general, according to Nzhdeh, "it is difficult to define it in scientific language; one can only speak of relative scientificity". He considered existing terminology insufficient to encompass the full depth of the nation. According to his formulation, "the nation is more spirit than clay" (that is, matter). To be Tseghakron, according to Nzhdeh, means to carry the nation within the individual – its qualities and moral values – and to embody everything nationally Armenian throughout the entirety of Armenian history. The root of the word "kron" (religion) is "to carry", and Armenian contains other words of this type, such as hogekron (spirit-bearing), khachakron (cross-bearing), molekron (fanatical), nyutakron (material-oriented), makrakron (pure), khstakron (strict), and kusakron (celibate). Tseghakronism is presented as encompassing both nationalism and patriotism. For this reason, Nzhdeh preferred the term "Tseghakronism" over expressions such as "love of nation" or "patriotism". == History ==

Conditions for formation , and young activists of the "Tseghakron Oaths" in the United States • 1. The 1930s were a period in which a defeatist mindset prevailed among the Armenian diaspora. Combined with divisive inter-party conflicts and the influence of a corrupting foreign environment, this led Armenians abroad to passively accept their degraded condition, threatening to make the defeat at the beginning of the century permanent. • 2. This situation was further exacerbated by a form of extreme religiosity: a number of anti-national sects operated within Armenian diaspora communities, preaching renunciation of the idea of the homeland, withdrawal from national and social life, and devotion to a "heavenly homeland." Such conditions risked leading to the fragmentation of nearly one million Armenians in the diaspora, making intervention necessary. • 3. The movement was also driven by anti-Armenian propaganda carried out by the Turks, who employed European public figures to portray Armenians as unpatriotic, cowardly, incapable of resistance, anarchic, and morally deficient. Countering these misrepresentations through both propaganda and practical action was considered essential. • 4. In addition, as Nzhdeh writes, "there was yet another major factor underscoring the necessity of the Tseghakron movement: the political appeasement of our older generation toward Turkey. Our traditional parties had begun to abandon the Armenian Question and to accept the idea that Armenian territories remaining in Turkey should be relinquished and that rapprochement with the Turks was necessary. Such renunciation, in the eyes of the younger generation, would render us a contemptible people : It was therefore necessary to instill among the stateless Armenian diaspora a sense of ownership of the homeland, rescuing it from "spiritual and political homelessness" and transforming it into a nation possessing a homeland. • 5. At the same time, the Tseghakron movement sought to establish a strong spiritual defense against Bolshevik propaganda, which was spreading widely throughout Armenian diaspora communities. Davitbekian Oaths The ideas of Tseghakronism did not originate in the diaspora but were brought from Armenia, where they had been put into practice and tested in the mountains during 1919–1921 in the form of the Davitbekian Oath. As Nzhdeh writes. Thanks to Nzhdeh’s exceptional organizational and propagandistic abilities, the movement quickly gained momentum. As Ruben Darbinyan noted, "without the enthusiasm inspired by Nzhdeh, without his driving force, and without the compelling influence of his personality, it is doubtful that our new American-Armenian generation could have organized itself in such a short time". Through Tseghakronism, many Armenian-American youth overcame the psychological aftermath of the Genocide and began to take pride in their Armenian identity. The first representative assembly of the Tseghakron Oaths was convened in July 1933. For about a year, the organization operated on a neutral, non-partisan basis. In June 1934, at the "Hairenik" Club in Boston, the first Delegate Assembly, presided over by Nzhdeh, decided to align with the ARF, after which the organization became known as the "ARF Tseghakron Oaths". The core of the new movement emerged primarily from the Tseghakron organization in Bulgaria, led by Garegin Nzhdeh, Hayk Asatryan, and Nerses Astvatsatryan. From 1937 in Plovdiv, they published the newspaper "Razmik", where writings on the ideology of Taronism began to appear. Finally, in April 1938 in Sofia, the Taron-Turuberan Compatriotic Union began publishing the monthly "Eagle of Taron," edited by Hayk Asatryan (with Nerses Astvatsatryan as managing director), marking the beginning of the Taronist movement. == Aims and ideology ==

Tseghakronism is constructed according to the following logical sequence. • 3. The Takanq The takanq are the denationalized element of Armenians, the internal enemy of the nation, harnessed to the war machine of the external enemy – faceless as Armenians and contemptible as human beings. They bear no responsibilities toward the Armenian people, yet constantly speak of rights. They possess no true national identity, and if they speak Armenian, it is only because they have not yet found another means of communication. Materialistic in nature, they regard money as the highest value and do not recognize a homeland. This stratum was termed by Hayk Asatryan as the "nation-betraying shaytan". It is the nationally dead element of Armenians, irreversibly reduced to a mass. Cults in Tseghakronism Tseghakronism recognizes and proclaims the Nation as the supreme sacred entity: "Anyone even somewhat familiar with Armenian history will immediately understand that the Tseghakron movement, as an oath, resembles the oath of the Mamikonian knights. Like the Mamikonians, the Tseghakron professes selfless devotion to the nation and the resolve to bravely accept death for the sake of the homeland." While honoring the military spirit of the Mamikonians, Nzhdeh also emphasizes the other pole of Armenian identity - the cultural spirit of the Bagratuni dynasty - which he sees as necessarily complementary. • 6. Cult of Strength Tseghakronism advocates the worship of strength, asserting that the world yields to the strong - those strong in spirit, intellect, and arm; it is the strong who prevail, not the merely just. • 7. Cult of Leadership In Tseghakronism, the true leader of the nation is also an object of reverence - the one whose hand shapes the fate of nations and to whom nations owe their rises and declines. Tseghakronism thus demands that, in obeying the will of the nation, one must also know how to obey its leader, who is the bearer and teacher of national morality. As a supra-party doctrine pursuing political monism, Tseghakronism is irreconcilable with factionalism. Nzhdeh, standing above egocentric party politics, confidently proclaimed: "There are no party martyrs or heroes; there are and will remain only national martyrdom and the heroic national struggle". == Tseghakronism and religion ==

Tseghakronism is not a religion. It is primarily a secular doctrine; "and if it is a religion, then it is the religion of national pride, strength, and courage". Nzhdeh does not call for a return to the ancient Armenian faith, as he understood the naivety and potential dangers of such a step. Nevertheless, he does not conceal his sympathy toward the ancient Armenian religion and the pagan past of the Armenians. He writes. Nzhdeh was neither anti-Christian nor a pagan, but neither was he a dogmatic adherent of Christian doctrine. He considered Armenians to be "victims of Christian moral teaching, which continues to exist as a veneer and mask for the souls of the strong": "Christ loved because he was strong; he loved because he was powerful enough to love and to forgive... He sacrificed because he was a hero of an idea. Only the brave, the courageous – only the hero – can sacrifice." As well as: "By abolishing the divide between death and life, the Nazarene denied death and thus became the eternal sower of giants of spirit – saints, martyrs, heroes." Notable is the Nzhdehian (i.e., Tseghakron) understanding of a Christian: "A Christian is not one who has misunderstood the essence of Christian doctrine, fallen into a web of prejudices, and weakened to the point of perishing, but one in whom there exists at least a spark of Christ – a fragment of the soul of the most powerful man of God". Tseghakronism seeks to restore a disrupted Armenian national identity. As Mushegh Lalayan writes: "We must now speak with Vahagn – the god of the ancient Aryan Armenians. A new sacred book must be placed in the hands of our people – the gospel of the brave." "In the collective soul of the Armenian people, the veneration of our ancient and powerful god must arise with commanding force. Temples shall be built for Vahagn... everywhere Armenians live – in every soul, for courage has always been the eternal duty of those nations that do not wish to perish. ‘Become brave, make others brave’ – this shall be our slogan of the day. Vahagn as God, the worship of courage as the new religion, the Armenian as brave – if we do not wish one day to yield our place under the sun to those stronger than us." Nevertheless, Tseghakronism does not oppose Vahagn and Christ, nor the Armenian and the Christian, but rather sees them as fundamentally compatible: "from the beginning, Armenians and their Christianity have been fused into a single nature: "It is an unforgivable mistake to explain Armenian devotion to Christianity through religious fervor. Fanaticism is alien to the Armenian spirit... The dominant consciousness among Armenians has long been national... Armenians nationalized Christianity very early. Armenian identity is the true religion of the Armenian." Attitude toward the Armenian Church Tseghakronism is not opposed to the Armenian Apostolic Church; on the contrary, it considers itself an inseparable part of it. However, according to Nzhdeh, the Church "has misunderstood the essence of Christian love and, as a result, has for centuries contributed to the unparalleled tragedy of our people." Tseghakronism calls for the nationalization of the Armenian Church, a reevaluation of its ideological foundations, and, above all, a reconsideration of "its mistaken understanding of Christian love." As Nzhdeh writes: "Our Church has erred – gravely erred – by preaching the morality of the weak and destitute. Henceforth it must speak of a brave people capable of love and sacrifice, if it wishes Christianity to endure in Asia Minor and Armenia. A strong and courageous people, capable of disregarding death for the sake of its own existence. Thus will not only Armenians survive, but also the Armenian Church. Self-defense of the Armenian people – this shall be the new creed of the Armenian Church." == Tseghakronism and the Armenian Question ==

in their homeland, the Armenian Highlands The title page of the first Program-Statute of the Tseghakron Oaths was adorned with the slogan "Lausanne? – No, never!". For the Tseghakrons, the Armenian Question did not end with the pro-Turkish Treaty of Lausanne, and they continued to regard themselves as claimants against Turkey. Convinced that the reconquest of Armenian lands was possible only through their own blood, and that only the courage and patriotism of the Armenian soldier could establish durable and just borders for Armenia, Garegin Nzhdeh wrote: "The native land of one people cannot become the permanent homeland of another... By the force of the enduring law of justice, seized territories sooner or later pass into the hands of their historical owners – provided that, in the latter, time has not weakened love, longing, and devotion toward the homeland." Tseghakronism was thus understood as a will to reclaim the homeland – a sacred pledge of return to the land for Armenians in exile, whether wealthy or laborers. It was also framed as a duty of retribution, a call not to forgive the Turks and, accordingly, as a forge of avengers, where "for every Armenian victim, two new avengers would arise". Tseghakronism called for uncompromising vengeance against the Turks and a harsh judgment upon that blood-guilty people, who were responsible for the destruction of half of the Armenian population. This enmity was presented not merely as historical, but as biological in nature. == Tseghakronism and foreign ideologies ==

Fascism and Nazism Tseghakronism is often, either naively or deliberately, characterized as an imported form of fascism or Nazism. When, in 1933 at the ARF General Assembly, Garegin Nzhdeh was asked whether his teachings were fascism or Nazism, he replied: "What I preach is neither of those doctrines; I wish to bring to light our historical ancient heroism and the layers of Armenian culture that have remained buried under dust." As Nzhdeh writes, fascism is the Italian expression of nationalism, while Nazism is the German one. During Nzhdeh’s oath-bound marches, when participants wore black robes ("patanakrats" expeditions) and received lessons in ethnic empowerment and pride, Benito Mussolini had only just begun his movement of the Blackshirts. "The idea of Tseghakronism is distinctly Armenian. This movement is shaped by the essence of our own nation. There was not yet any talk of fascism or Hitlerism when, in 1919, the idea of Tseghakronism had already mobilized our Davitbekian Oaths in the region of Syunik." The difference between Tseghakronism and Nazism lies in the fact that the latter proclaims the Aryan race as the only culture-creating race, considering all other nations as subordinate types. Tseghakronism is free from doctrines of chosen-ness or exclusivity. Nazism, under the necessity of so-called "living space," promotes expansionism that, unnaturally, extends beyond national borders. Tseghakronism sets as its goal the reclamation of our true homeland – the Armenian Highland. Nazism regards Jews as an enemy of humanity and a destructive type of culture, and anti-Jewish sentiment occupies a central place in its ideology. Such views are entirely absent in Tseghakronism. It declares the Turks as enemies of the nation, since they, through the destruction of part of the Armenian population, have taken control of much of Armenia. Zionism Hovhannes Hovhannisyan argues that the "racial conception and inspiration of Tseghakronism came primarily from the Jewish people". According to Mushegh Lalayan, who disagrees with this view, "although Nzhdeh spoke respectfully of Zionism (as well as other homeland-oriented nationalist movements), it is unequivocally asserted that his source of inspiration was the Armenian race itself, with its tragedy and heroism," citing the following statement by Nzhdeh as evidence: "The Tseghakron movement has nothing in common with foreign doctrines, nor could it, since it is above all a reformist movement – a rebirth – which is possible only through one’s own, not borrowed, values." Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche It is often claimed that Tseghakronism was formed under the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche. Indeed, the power-centered rhetoric and resolute style of Tseghakronism bear certain similarities to Nietzsche’s philosophy; however, there are fundamental differences in worldview and moral doctrine. For example, the core of Nietzsche’s philosophy is the individual – Übermensch – who appears as an end, whereas the foundation of Tseghakronism is the tsegh, and the tseghamard is a means for the nation. Nietzsche is anti-Christian, rejects any compromise with Christianity, and does not accept any reform within it, whereas Tseghakronism is not anti-Christian and sets the goal only of nationalizing the Armenian Church. Nietzsche is also an atheist, whereas Tseghakronism accepts the existence of God. ==See also==