THE SYMBOLISM OF FEBRUARY
Editorial

Yerkir.am
February 16, 2007

February 18, 1921 was added to the liberation struggles the Armenian
nation fought against foreign rule for protection of its rights and
preservation of its natural and sustainable values.

No matter how hard the Soviet historians tried to stigmatize the
February of 1921, it remained as a united and pan-national rebellion
of the Armenian nation, a historic event that has not yet been fully
assessed and valued. In the two years preceding 1921 the independent
state had become a requirement for the Armenian nation. Had February
18 not taken place, May 28 would have partly lost its historical
significance and meaning.

These two dates shaped the Armenian nation’s common vision of free
Armenian nation in its independent, fair and integral homeland. The
February rebellion broke out to restore people’s freedom, to restore
the country’s image, and most importantly, to transfer to the next
generations the dedication for committed struggle for justice.

On December 2, 1920, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Party that
was the government of that time sacrificed its power for the sake
of two ultimate goals – physical survival of the Armenian nation
and preservation of Armenia’ s independence. The violent violation
of these two values was what drove the Armenian peasants, workers,
intellectuals and soldiers to this unprecedented rebellion.

The power-striving and stupid policies of Bolshevik authorities in
social, political, cultural and other spheres paralyzed and eroded the
country. The Bolsheviks did not care for any values. They imprisoned,
murdered or exiled the intellectuals and military people.

The economic and moral destruction of Armenian workers was carried out
based on the rich experience of Soviet Russia, an experience called
"military communism". With the slogan of physically eradicating the
ARF, the Bolsheviks tried to kill even those who were against ARF
in the past, those who were patriots, those who "were infected with
ARF’s thinking…".

This is why the pan-national rebellion broke out destroying the
Bolshevik regime. ARF headed the rebellion with its national and
intellectual leaders that had 30 years of experience of revolutionary
struggle. The Committee for Salvation of the Homeland was created,
it was a sort of a national government that did not survive long like
the rebellion itself.

Hundreds of volunteers were martyred in the military front with the
anthem, Our Homeland, on their lips. These were volunteers for whom
"dying for freedom " was a blessing. Their blood was the price paid
for salvation of the Armenian intellectual elite that escaped to
other countries.

The symbolism and significance of February 18 is great and
profound. The Soviet regime that followed the February rebellion was
very cautious and accepted national values as a mandatory element of
Armenia’s governance system.

February 18 came as a warning to all rulers that there is an end to
the Armenian nation’s patience if the authorities do not care for
the nation.

"February 18 cannot be repeated without the ideological inspiration
that existed in that time." These words were written by member of
ARF’s Prague Student Union G. Yeretsian in 1927. These words have an
educational value for all those who tend to make prognosis and calls
for rebellions and revolutions.

February 18 is a monument to the surviving ability of our nation,
it is a monument to the Armenians that are brave and do not accept
injustice. Without the spark of February 18, 1921, there would have
been no February 1988.