Alexander Atabekian
Encyclopedia
Alexander Movsesi Atabekian (02.02.1868-04.12.1933) was a prominent Armenia
n anarchist
, author and publisher of anarchist literature.
Born into an Armenian aristocratic (meliq) family of a doctor in Shusha
, Atabekian initially studied in a college in his native town, and then at University of Geneva
(1889 – 96) and at Lyon
. From 1888-1890, during his early years in Geneva
, Atabekian participated in the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
, contributing to the typesetting
of its periodical Hinchak (Sound of the Bell) , which was published by Avetis Nazarbekian
.
He became an anarchist in 1890 through reading Words of a Rebel, a series of essays written by Peter Kropotkin
in 1879 for the paper Le Revolt later collected for publication in 1885 by Elisee Reclus
. Thereafter he published Armenian and Russian translations of Kropotkin and other anarchist authors, and established relations with the militants and anarchists in the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
. He met Kropotkin with Bulgaria
n anarchist Paraškev Stoyanov in 1893. In 1894 he edited Hamaink, the only Armenian anarchist periodical, which ran for five issues.
Between 1896 and 1917 he worked as a doctor in Northern Persia; from 1914 to 1917 in the Imperial Russian Army
. Upon the dissolution of the army following the Russian Civil War
, he again met Kropotkin and became an active anarchist in Moscow
after the February Revolution
. He served as the editor of the anarchist periodical Pocin from 1919–1923, representing the anarcho-cooperative trend in the libertarian movement. Atabekian published articles in which he criticized social-revolutionaries and Bolsheviks, and opposed the October revolution
. After the death of Kropotkin he founded the Kropotkin Museum with other veteran anarchists. Atabekian was arrested in the 1930s and is thought to have died in a labour camp in 1940.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, author and publisher of anarchist literature.
Born into an Armenian aristocratic (meliq) family of a doctor in Shusha
Shusha
Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
, Atabekian initially studied in a college in his native town, and then at University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
(1889 – 96) and at Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. From 1888-1890, during his early years in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Atabekian participated in the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party , is the oldest of the Armenian political parties and was the first Socialist party in the Ottoman Empire and in Persia...
, contributing to the typesetting
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
of its periodical Hinchak (Sound of the Bell) , which was published by Avetis Nazarbekian
Avetis Nazarbekian
Avetis Nazarbekian , also known as Nazarbek or Lerents, was an Armenian poet, journalist, political activist and revolutionary, one of the founders of Social Democrat Hunchakian Party....
.
He became an anarchist in 1890 through reading Words of a Rebel, a series of essays written by Peter Kropotkin
Peter Kropotkin
Prince Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a Russian zoologist, evolutionary theorist, philosopher, economist, geographer, author and one of the world's foremost anarcho-communists. Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government and based on voluntary associations between...
in 1879 for the paper Le Revolt later collected for publication in 1885 by Elisee Reclus
Élisée Reclus
Élisée Reclus , also known as Jacques Élisée Reclus, was a renowned French geographer, writer and anarchist. He produced his 19-volume masterwork La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes , over a period of nearly 20 years...
. Thereafter he published Armenian and Russian translations of Kropotkin and other anarchist authors, and established relations with the militants and anarchists in the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
. He met Kropotkin with Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n anarchist Paraškev Stoyanov in 1893. In 1894 he edited Hamaink, the only Armenian anarchist periodical, which ran for five issues.
Between 1896 and 1917 he worked as a doctor in Northern Persia; from 1914 to 1917 in the Imperial Russian Army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
. Upon the dissolution of the army following the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, he again met Kropotkin and became an active anarchist in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
after the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
. He served as the editor of the anarchist periodical Pocin from 1919–1923, representing the anarcho-cooperative trend in the libertarian movement. Atabekian published articles in which he criticized social-revolutionaries and Bolsheviks, and opposed the October revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. After the death of Kropotkin he founded the Kropotkin Museum with other veteran anarchists. Atabekian was arrested in the 1930s and is thought to have died in a labour camp in 1940.
(in Russian)
- Возможна ли анархическая социальная революция?, М., 1918;
- Вопросы теории и практики, М., 1918;
- Против власти. Сборник статей, М., 1918.