Arpine Kusheryan is a 78-year-old grandmother whose daily routines involve cooking and cleaning endlessly. She patiently waits in her room to be interviewed by her granddaughter about the life she lived during the Soviet Union. She lived most of her childhood in Alexandria, Egypt but soon moved to Yerevan, Armenia and got married in her late twenties. Her memories of the Soviet Union are still crisp in her mind. As she recalls that time period, she takes big breaths and sighs. As I interview her, she looks around and takes a sip of her homemade coffee sitting on the nightstand.
I lived in Armenia from 1947 until 1991 when it was under the USSR control. My family and I moved to Armenia when I was still in my teens. My parents brought us to Armenia so we would not be far away from our roots. Soon, I found myself married to Tomas Kusherian, a man from a wealthy and respected family. My life in Armenia was average, nothing spectacular. We had a good home and my husband had his own constructor engineer company. I remember everyone being happy when Armenia joined the USSR because that meant more power and economical support for Armenia. I recall being really happy that Armenia had gotten up on her feet once again and that everything was going to be fine. Soon, the reality of control of the USSR struck everyone.
Soviet Union was a communist country with media that was censored. The censorship ranged from newspapers to television and everything in between. Although, newspapers were censored, the amount of variety was a lot. My husband read “ Armenian Soviet Union” in his spare time. We liked the newspaper because it had something for everyone, including me. I thought it was really absurd how they wouldn’t publish anything or display it on television screens without the government approval. The government was very strict and didn’t allow anything controversial presented to the public. Even in the arts, there was no freedom of press, which perhaps was harsh. Talking about sex or drugs freely was considered taboo. Fortunately, students in America learn about sex education in school and discuss such subjects freely.
During elections variety was absent. All three candidates were communist and no other party was accepted. Many people, like myself were against communism, but couldn’t speak out about the rules and regulations of voting, so we just shut our mouth and placed our ballots. Women couldn’t run for office, but they did have the right of voting. They voted like everybody else in a small stall with a tiny table. Each part of town had a ballot center so that long lines would not form. Security was at a minimum and no one put pressure to vote on certain somebody. Women had equal right like men. They had the right to vote and go places like concerts, the grocery, and shops without having their husband on the side. It was not similar to Muslim countries where women didn’t have many rights. Nonetheless, there were women rights organizations that dealt with women’s rights and problems including everyday life. Religion was present in Soviet Union but not freedom of religion. People could not worship freely and be accepted. It was very different than how it is here, in America.
In Armenia, “black market” did exist. We used to say those things were sold “ underground” or “beneath”. Through connections of people you could have got that nice bag for a cheaper price. I admit to buying something from the “underground.” For instance, we ordered a expensive piano from Russia and bribed people so that they could have notified us soon about its arrival. The government did not let people own their own business. Everything was under government control. People lived freely in their homes without anyone barging in. You paid the rent and received a place. The government gave homes to people working factories or people with children. The number of rooms given depended on your situation. They gave 1-bedroom homes, 2-bedroom homes, or 3- bedroom homes, 4 were rare.
During my life time there, money and having connections were important for everyday life. Corruption existed during the Soviet Union like it exists in every country. That’s the truth, but when corruption gets out of control, the nation falls apart. Corruption was the result of people not having enough products, benefits, etc. when there is way too many people who need those products or benefits. In everyday life, a lot of bakeries because of lack of gas and flour had limited bread. As a result, early in the morning long lines would already form. If you had “street smarts” you would cut or if u knew someone you would give them heads up and they would buy you bread with the money you would give them. When people didn’t get their bread after standing in line since morning..chaos would break loose. A lot of times I would pay my good neighbors so that when they went to buy bread for them they would buy it for me as well I physically couldn’t stand in the cold weather at night. They did these small favors out of generosity and respect.
After I got married to my husband I became a housewife. I had skills in embroidery but that was about it. My husband loved what he did, he had a lot of ideas about architecture which he implanted in his work. He was a respected man and most of the city knew and respected him for his work. My husband didn’t have any protection but everyone and anyone had medical benefits. It was one of the pluses of the USSR. Anytime we were sick we went straight to the hospital where check-ups were free. However, they were free, but average. People began to pay doctors extra money in order to have a better or faster treatment, which was an example of corruption in hospitals. Although, I don’t know anyone who went to the military or had a son who went to the military, but I knew who was eligible to go. Every young man, eighteen or older was forced to go to the military and had no choice. If you were a young man and wanted to get you education then you would only go one year instead of two. From stories I’ve heard, in the military veterans made the life hard for the rookies. Education would be the only thing that saved the young men from military.
In the end, its true that medical benefits were average and present for everyone under the USSR control, however, freedom of speech and freedom of press were not present. My parents brought me to Armenia because of propaganda and education was free and life was standard. When we came to Armenia, it wasn’t what we thought it to be. We had heard of stories of people being sent to Siberia for speaking their minds. After Stalin died, the regime for a second lowered it’s absurd degree. Again, there was communism and regime, but it wasn’t to the point where people were sent and killed in Siberia. I am happy that the USSR fell, it was not the right way of living.