“The Red Flag at Ararat” is a 1932 book by Armenian-American Aghavnie Yeghenian. Yeghenian’s book recounts her journey through Armenia and reveals the political and social problems transforming the country in the 1920s.
The Gomidas Institute republished the book in 2013, featuring an introduction from Dr. Pietro Shakarian, a lecturer at AUA. Shakarian’s introduction sets the stage for Yeghenian’s personal experiences and how they show the feelings of pain and optimism in Armenia. Her book explains the political situation of Armenia in a new era after the Armenian Genocide and the establishment of a Soviet government.
Told from a first-person perspective, Yeghenian does not aim to paint an academic view of early Soviet Armenia but rather a portrait of how Armenians adapted and shaped their republic. From an entirely different economic system to cultural changes, Soviet influence led the country towards a new course that still affects Armenia today.
Arriving in Yerevan, Yeghenian describes Armenian architect Alexander Tamanian’s plan to develop the city into a beautiful one with a new National Theater. Yerevan had already experienced immense change due to the construction of new banks, hospitals, and schools. In addition to historical facts and context, the book’s format provides moments of levity. Tamanian’s argument with a worker shows how Soviet ideology shaped Armenia. The worker refuses to work in a ditch assigned to him because he thinks the others are lazy and it would be pointless to work with them. However, Tamanian convinces the worker that he must work to fulfill Tamanian’s plan both for himself and the team. Otherwise, everyone will fail. Yeghenian explains that the Soviets influenced Armenian workers to view themselves as part of a larger plan they could shape and impact. Tamanian’s moment effortlessly woven into the text shows that Yeghenian can add varying perspectives to elevate her writing.
Nonfiction texts rarely include personal perspectives to not present one view favorably over the other, but Yeghenian challenges that notion through her questioning of the Soviet system. She questions Soviet Armenia’s Commissar of Enlightenment, Ardo Yeghiazarian, on the republic’s new educational system. Yeghenian asks if the altered academic requirements prevent children of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie from studying at universities. Yeghiazarian states that it will be difficult for them to get accepted into university because the Soviets prioritize children of the proletariat and peasants over other classes. The Commissar further states that the state provides pensions to university students. There is not enough money to accommodate everyone in Armenia, so those with privileged backgrounds must comply with these new standards. The book does not judge Yeghiazarian’s comments, letting readers shape their own perception of the Soviet Armenian government. Reading about political figures and how they talk in the book makes it a different type of experience in determining who is right or wrong. That determination now factors a personal side usually not present in textbooks, adding to the book’s layers.
Demonstrating the inner workings of the Soviet Armenian government through a personal narrative introduces some problems. Yeghenian’s journey can only record and present what she encounters; not everything can be included. Historical background and facts help fill in the reader throughout the book but seeing more comprehensive explanations of government policy would have shown the bigger picture. Yeghenian’s writing avoids these explanations as the book is only 132 pages, which is not indicative of a comprehensive text.
Yeghenian provides her opinion at the end of the book, revealing that her childhood vision of Armenia was a war-torn country begging for help. However, Yeghenian discovered that Armenia had renewed itself into the image of a golden-haired god that prevailed in the face of destruction. It may seem odd that Yeghenian asserts a particular narrative at the very end after not doing so throughout the book. Her assertion might cause disagreements among readers who reached a different conclusion. Still, from the perspective of her journey and what she learned, it is not surprising that Yeghenian determines Soviet Armenia a success. Yeghenian’s great realization is the discovery of a revitalized Armenia. Knowing how early Soviet Armenia managed to redevelop the nation through her perspective gives the book an unrivaled view of the era.
