Latest / The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History / The Armenian Soviet Republic: From Independence to Stalin's Purges
Transcript
- Lucas: We've traced Armenia through empires, genocide, and independence. But what happened after that brief, heroic First Republic fell? In 1920, the Red Army marched into Yerevan, and Armenia became a Soviet republic — a new chapter that would last seventy years. Luna: So the Soviet takeover wasn't exactly a welcome arrival for most Armenians? Lucas: Not at all. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation — the Dashnaks — had been running the independent republic, and they fought hard. But by late 1920, they were exhausted from wars with Turkey and a desperate winter. The Bolsheviks promised land, peace, and autonomy. Many Armenians were skeptical, but some saw it as the only way to survive. Lucas: The key figure in the early Soviet Armenian government was Alexander Miasnikyan — a Bolshevik of Armenian origin who became the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. He was a writer, a revolutionary, and surprisingly, a moderate. He tried to balance Soviet ideology with Armenian national feeling. Luna: What happened to the Dashnaks? Lucas: They were outlawed. Many were executed or fled into exile. In 1921, there was a brief anti-Soviet rebellion in Yerevan called the February Uprising, led by Dashnak holdouts. The Red Army crushed it within weeks. After that, any open opposition was impossible. Lucas: But even under the early Bolsheviks, there were genuine achievements. In 1921, Yerevan State University was established — the first major university in eastern Armenia. And in 1922, Armenia became part of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic alongside Georgia and Azerbaijan. That union was short-lived but it shaped the region. Luna: So there was a cultural side to this too? Lucas: Yes, but with a heavy cost. The 1920s saw a cultural renaissance of sorts — writers and poets like Yeghishe Charents and Aksel Bakunts thrived. Charents was a brilliant poet who initially embraced the revolution. He wrote epic poems celebrating the new Soviet Armenia. But by the 1930s, Stalin's paranoia tightened. Lucas: The first blow came with collectivization in 1929. Armenian peasants resisted forced collectivization, and Stalin responded brutally. Famine struck in 1931–1932, killing tens of thousands. Then came the Great Purge of 1937–1938. In Armenia, it decimated the intelligentsia. Charents was arrested, tortured, and died in a prison hospital in 1937. Aksel Bakunts was executed. The Matenadaran — the ancient manuscript repository — lost many of its scholars. Luna: It sounds like the Soviet system ate its own children. Lucas: Exactly. But there's a strange twist. One of Stalin's most loyal lieutenants was Anastas Mikoyan — an Armenian from the village of Sanahin. He survived every purge, outlasted Khrushchev, and became a symbol of Armenian success within the Soviet system. He helped bring Armenian culture into the Kremlin, but he also signed off on repressions. Lucas: After World War II, there was a remarkable moment: Stalin called for Armenians in the diaspora to repatriate to Soviet Armenia. Between 1946 and 1948, about 90,000 Armenians from the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas moved to Armenia. They were promised a new life. Many arrived to find ruined housing and suspicion from locals. Some were even arrested as spies. Luna: That's heartbreaking. They came out of hope. Lucas: Yes. And yet, the repatriates brought new skills, languages, and energy. They built neighborhoods in Yerevan like Nork. Their descendants are still there today. Lucas: The post-Stalin years under Khrushchev brought a thaw. Armenian culture breathed again. The Matenadaran, which had been damaged, was rebuilt as a grand institute. In 1959, a new building opened on Mesrop Mashtots Avenue, showcasing thousands of ancient manuscripts. It became a symbol of Armenian identity within the USSR. Luna: So the Soviet system both crushed and preserved Armenian culture? Lucas: That's the paradox. The Soviet Union destroyed the old political elite, imposed atheism, and collectivized the countryside. But it also industrialized Armenia, built schools, and created a state-sponsored cultural establishment that allowed Armenian language, literature, and music to survive — as long as they didn't challenge communist orthodoxy. Luna: It's a complicated legacy. Lucas: And one that still shapes Armenia today. The Soviet era created a modern nation, but it also left deep scars of trauma and distrust. We'll pick up that thread another time. Lucas: Speaking of threads — we've been talking about how Armenian identity survived through enormous pressures. That's exactly why we keep making these episodes. We believe stories like this deserve to be told without interruptions from ads. We don't run commercials on Fexingo, and that's a choice we're proud of. Luna: Yeah, it's a rare thing these days. A show that respects your time and your attention. Lucas: If you'd like to support that choice, it's simple: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just an option for anyone who values ad-free history. Luna: And we get right back to it. So Lucas, you mentioned the industrialization of Soviet Armenia. What did that look like on the ground? Lucas: It was dramatic. Yerevan transformed from a dusty provincial town into a modern city. The Soviet planners built wide avenues, the Opera House, and massive factories. The Yerevan Brandy Factory became famous — Stalin himself sent Armenian brandy to Churchill. By the 1960s, Armenia was the most industrialized republic in the Caucasus per capita. Lucas: But industrialization came with environmental costs. Lake Sevan, the jewel of Armenia, was tapped for hydroelectric power and irrigation. Its water level dropped dramatically. The ecological damage is still being felt today. Another paradox of Soviet development. Luna: What about religion? How did the Armenian Church survive under atheist rule? Lucas: The church was severely restricted. Catholicos Khoren I was arrested in 1938 and died in prison. But unlike some other churches, the Armenian Apostolic Church was allowed to exist in a controlled form. After World War II, Stalin eased restrictions slightly to gain loyalty. Catholicos Vazgen I, who led the church from 1955 to 1994, skillfully navigated Soviet pressures, keeping the church alive for the post-Soviet revival. Lucas: By the 1980s, Armenians were increasingly frustrated with Moscow. The Nagorno-Karabakh movement, which we covered in episode 109, began in 1988. That was the beginning of the end of Soviet Armenia. In 1991, Armenia declared independence once again — a second republic, born from the ruins of the USSR. Luna: It's amazing how many times Armenia has had to reinvent itself. Lucas: That's the thread through all our episodes. Survival through empires, genocide, and even the Soviet experiment. And Armenia is still here.