Simon Vratsian (; 1882 – 21 May 1969) was an Armenian politician and activist of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (, abbr. ARF (ՀՅԴ) or ARF-D), also known as Dashnaktsutyun (Armenians, Armenian: Դաշնակցություն, Literal translation, lit. "Federation"), is an Armenian nationalism, Armenian nationalist a ...
. He was one of the leaders of the
First Republic of Armenia
The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia, was an independent History of Armenia, Armenian state that existed from May (28th ''de jure'', 30th ''de facto'') 1918 to 2 December 1920 in ...
(1918–1920) and served as its last
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
for 10 days in 1920. He also headed the Committee for the Salvation of the Fatherland for 40 days during the anti-Bolshevik
February Uprising in 1921. While in exile, he continued his political and educational activities in the
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
and wrote several books, most notably his six-volume memoir ''Keankʻi ughinerov'' ("On the Path of Life") and his history of the First Republic of Armenia titled ''Hayastani Hanrapetutʻiwn'' ("The Republic of Armenia").
Biography
Vratsian was born Simavon Grouzian in the village of
Metz Sala (Bolshiye Saly) near Nor Nakhichevan in the Russian Empire (now
Nakhichevan-on-Don) on 5 April 1882 (March 24 by the
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...
). When he was five years old, his family settled among
Cossacks
The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...
in the
Kuban region, although they soon returned to Metz Sala at the insistence of Vratsian's mother, who wanted her children to receive an Armenian education. After education at Armenian and Russian schools, he joined the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (, abbr. ARF (ՀՅԴ) or ARF-D), also known as Dashnaktsutyun (Armenians, Armenian: Դաշնակցություն, Literal translation, lit. "Federation"), is an Armenian nationalism, Armenian nationalist a ...
(ARF, also known as Dashnaktsutiun or the Dashnak party) in 1898, apparently by mistake while trying to join the rival
Hunchak Party, which was holding a meeting in the same building. He received further education at the
Gevorgian Seminary in
Echmiadzin from 1900 to 1906. Vratsian returned to Nor Nakhichevan as an ARF operative and took part in the 4th General Congress of the Dashnaktsutiun at Vienna in 1907, where he supported the adoption of socialism in the party program.
In 1908, he traveled to
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
to study law and education. He earned his teaching credentials but was instructed to flee Russia before completing his law degree due to increased repression of ARF members by the Tsarist authorities. He went first to
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
and then to
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...
, where he was invited to train Armenian teachers at the Sanasarian Academy and teach history at a secondary school for girls. He then travelled to the United States in 1911 where he edited the ''
Hairenik'' newspaper in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
.
In 1914, he traveled to
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...
in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
to attend the
8th General Congress of the Dashnaktsutiun as the representative of the party organization in America. He was elected to the party's Bureau (its top executive body) and mixed with the leaders of the
Young Turks. In August 1914 he was jailed as a Russian spy but escaped to
Transcaucasia, where he became involved with the
Armenian volunteer units which fought with the
Russian army. After the disbandment of the units, he attended the Moscow state conference, the Armenian National Congress, and was elected a member of the National Council.
Hovhannes Katchaznouni asked him to accompany him on his tour of Europe and America in 1919, but he was refused a visa by the British as they saw him as a radical socialist. In the same year he was appointed to the Minister of Labour, Agriculture and State positions in
Alexander Khatisian's Cabinet. His positions carried over to the government of
Hamo Ohanjanyan; he also assumed responsibilities for information and propaganda. After the resignation of the government and the failure of Hovhannes Katchaznouni to form a coalition, Vratsian accepted post of
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
on 23 November 1920.
On 2 December he surrendered
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
to the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
s. He subsequently went into hiding, and later emerged in February 1921 as the chairman of the Committee for the Salvation of the Fatherland, which led the anti-Bolshevik
February Uprising that briefly overthrew Soviet rule in Armenia. In April, after the anti-Bolshevik rebels were forced to retreat south to the mountainous region of Zangezur, Vratsian became premier of the
Republic of Mountainous Armenia. However, this republic only lasted around 40 days; in July he escaped to Persia with his bodyguards and aides, leaving his wife and child with American Near East Relief worker Dr. Clarence Ussher. He also appealed to Europe and
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
for assistance against the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
s. Vratsian then travelled over Europe, settling in Paris to edit the ARF's official newspaper ''
Droshak'' from 1924 to 1933. In 1939, he returned to the United States and remained there for twelve years due to the outbreak of World War II. In 1945 he presented a petition to the UN General Assembly at San Francisco demanding the restoration of
Wilsonian Armenia held by
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
to
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
.
During his lifetime he edited various now defunct Armenian periodicals and newspapers, including ''Harach'' and ''Horizon''. He also traveled extensively, appealing to various European powers to help Armenia regain its independence. He finally settled in
Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
in 1952, where he was principal of and taught courses at the Collège Arménien (Nshan Palandjian Jemaran), one of the main schools of the Armenian diaspora. Among his former students are the prominent Armenian historians
Richard G. Hovannisian and
Gerard Libaridian. He died in
Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
aged 87 on 21 May 1969.
Personal details
In his memoirs, Vratsian explains that his original surname, Grouzian, came from the Armenian word "grouz" (գռուզ), which means curly or frizzled. This was because many people from his extended family had curly hair. His surname was changed by a schoolteacher, Melikian, who incorrectly assumed that Grouzian was a corruption of Gruzinian (from Russian ''gruzin'', meaning Georgian), and thus Armenianized it to Vratsian (from the Armenian word for Georgian). Vratsian describes that after the incident with Melikian, his family was divided into three camps: the Grouzian camp, which included his mother, who thought he was a traitor, and his conservative uncle Garabed; the Grouzinian camp, which consists of his "lover of all new things" (as described by Vratsian) uncle Mergian; and the Vratsian camp, of which Simon was the only member. He also mentions in his memoirs that his grandmother died aged 116, but that it cannot be proven since most countries didn't start recording dates of birth until the year 1900.
He describes his father as a storyteller, whose stories increased business for the family coffee shop. He also writes in his memoirs (''Keankʻi ughinerov'') about his rich maternal uncle Mikishka, and estimates that his net worth in several millions of dollars. Vratsian recounts how his "cheap" and "stingy" maternal uncle Mikishka gave him the equivalent of 20 modern US cents for a 2,000 kilometer journey. He also recalls how later, when he was getting involved in Armenian political parties, he was going to be a member of the
Social-Democrat Hnchakian Party. However, he and his friend accidentally walked into a Dashnak meeting, themselves becoming Dashnaks. He also describes the ARF General Congresses in minute detail, such as which member of the congress wanted an alliance with Russia, who wanted to fund the curing of Armenian villagers from lice, which hotel he stayed in, and who he became friends with. He describes his friendship with prominent figures of the Armenian national movement such as
Rostom,
Hamazasp,
Andranik,
Armen Garo,
Aram Manukian, among others. For example, in the second volume of his memoir ''Keankʻi ughinerov'', he recounts that he was a teacher of Armenian history for one year. One of his students who always disrupted class was Andranik's daughter. Vratsian hit Andranik's daughter, and was summoned to the Headmaster's office. There he met Andranik, and when Vratsian explained why he had hit his daughter, Andranik thanked Vratsian for disciplining her. Vratsian was also a close friend of
Drastamat Kanayan (Dro), with whom he lived in Beirut for several years; Vratsian wrote a book about Dro's life titled ''Mrrkatsin Dron'' ("Tempest-born Dro").
In Vratsian's memoirs, there are no accounts of his wife or any children.
Oliver Baldwin's "Six Prisons and Two Revolutions" gives us the only piece of evidence about his direct family. Baldwin was an Englishman who became a
Lieutenant-Colonel in the Armenian Army. He was at the house of Dr.
Clarence Ussher (from the
Near East Relief) when a messenger from Vratsian arrived asking Dr. Ussher to keep his wife and son safe when the Bolsheviks took over. However, according to Baldwin, Vratsian's son "died of exposure" while they were fleeing to Persia in the aftermath of the February Uprising. There is no other mention of Vratsian's wife and son.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vratsian, Simon
1882 births
1969 deaths
Armenian nationalists
Politicians from Rostov-on-Don
Russian people of Armenian descent
Armenian Revolutionary Federation politicians
People from the First Republic of Armenia
Prime ministers of Armenia
Armenian political scientists
Agriculture ministers of Armenia
20th-century political scientists
Armenian memoirists