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86-729: The TSFSR comprised Armenia , Azerbaijan , and Georgia , traditionally known as the " Transcaucasian Republics" as they were separated from Russia by the Caucasus Mountains . The TSFSR was one of the four republics to sign the Treaty on the Creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics establishing the Soviet Union in 1922. The TSFSR was created ostensibly to consolidate the economic situation and Bolshevik control over

172-825: A Georgian Bolshevik leader, became the first chairman of the Transcaucasian SFSR's Council of People's Commissars. Tbilisi was the capital of the republic. The republic became a founding member of the Soviet Union on 30 December along with the Russian SFSR , the Ukrainian SSR , and the Byelorussian SSR . In December 1936, the Transcaucasian SFSR was dissolved and divided again among the Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani SSRs. After

258-454: A dramatic theater in Yerevan were built and established in the 1920s and 1930s, and popular works in the fields of art and literature were produced by Martiros Saryan , Avetik Isahakian , and Yeghishe Charents , who all adhered to the socialist dictum of creating works "national in form, socialist in content." Armenkino released the first Armenian feature film, Namus (Honor) in 1925 and

344-524: A highhanded manner and did not take into consideration the poor conditions of the republic and the general weariness of the people after years of conflict and civil strife. As the Soviet Armenian historian Bagrat Borian, who was to later perish during Stalin's purges , wrote in 1929: Such was the degree and scale of the requisitioning and terror imposed by the local Cheka that in February 1921

430-575: A massive major anti-Soviet and pro-Georgian independence rally in Tbilisi on 9 April 1989, which was violently dispersed by Soviet Interior Ministry troops , resulting in the deaths of twenty, mostly young women, and the injury of hundreds of demonstrators. The 9 April tragedy removed the last vestiges of credibility from the Soviet regime in Georgia and pushed many Georgians into radical opposition to

516-647: A more moderate policy and one better attuned to Armenian national sensibilities. With the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP), Armenians began to enjoy a period of relative stability. Life under Soviet rule proved to be a soothing balm in contrast to the turbulent years of the First Republic. Alexander Tamanian began to realize his city plan for Yerevan and the population received medicine, food, as well as other provisions from Moscow. Prior to his debilitating illness, Lenin encouraged

602-541: A purge of the Communist Party of Armenia . During his trip to Armenia, Mikoyan tried, but failed, to save one individual ( Daniel "Danush" Shahverdyan ) from being executed. More than a thousand people were arrested and seven of nine members of the Armenian Politburo were sacked from office. The trip also resulted in the appointment of a new Armenian Party leadership, headed by Grigory Arutinov , who

688-496: A speech in Yerevan where he encouraged the republication of Raffi and Raphael Patkanian , the rehabilitation of Charents, and the revival of the memory of Miasnikian. Behind the scenes, he assisted Soviet Armenian leaders in the rehabilitation of former "enemies" in the republic. The massive statue of Stalin that towered over Yerevan was pulled down from its pedestal by troops literally overnight in 1962 and replaced in 1967 with that of Mother Armenia . Contacts between Armenia and

774-566: A treaty of alliance with the Georgian SSR codifying its status as a treaty republic (Russian: договорная республика). This agreement allowed the formation of an Abkhazia military while also establishing a political and financial union between the two Soviet republics. Thus, through Georgia, Abkhazia joined the TSFSR and was initially on an equal footing with the other republics of the federation. On February 19, 1931, Abkhazia's republican status

860-652: A unified federal state and renamed it into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, though keeping formally the autonomy of its constituent republics. The congress also adopted the constitution, appointed the Central Executive Committee (the highest legislative body between congressional sessions), and the Council of People's Commissars (the government). Mamia Orakhelashvili ,

946-705: The Georgian SSR . It came into existence in February 1931, when the Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia (SSR Abkhazia or SSRA), originally created in March 1921, was transformed to the status of Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Georgian SSR. The Abkhaz ASSR adopted its own constitution on 2 August 1937. The supreme organ of legislative power was the Supreme Soviet elected every 4 years and its Presidium. The executive power

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1032-759: The Great Purge of Joseph Stalin , but contributed significantly to the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War of World War II. After the death of Stalin , Armenia experienced a new period of liberalization during the Khrushchev Thaw . Following the Brezhnev era, Mikhail Gorbachev 's reforms of glasnost and perestroika led to the rise of the Karabakh movement . The republic declared state sovereignty on 23 August 1990, boycotted

1118-611: The Karabakh Armenians, and grew into what became known as the Karabakh movement . By the beginning of 1988, nearly one million Armenians from several regions of the republic engaged in these demonstrations, centered on Yerevan's Theater Square (currently Freedom Square ). However, in neighboring Azerbaijan, violence against Armenians erupted in the city of Sumgait . Ethnic rioting soon broke out between Armenians and Azeris , preventing any peaceful resolution from taking place. Armenians became increasingly disillusioned with

1204-592: The Kremlin's response toward the issue. Gorbachev, who had until then been viewed favorably in Armenia, saw his standing among Armenians deteriorate significantly. Tension between the central government in Moscow and the local government in Yerevan heightened in the final years of the Soviet Union. The reasons largely stemmed from Moscow's perceived indecision on Karabakh, ongoing difficulties with earthquake relief, and

1290-605: The March 1991 referendum on the New Union Treaty , and on 21 September 1991, held a successful independence referendum . It was recognized on 26 December 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union , although the republic's 1978 Soviet constitution remained in effect with major amendments until 5 July 1995, when the new Armenian constitution was adopted via referendum . Following the Sovietization of Armenia,

1376-647: The Red Army invasion of Georgia , Abkhazia (an autonomous province within the Democratic Republic of Georgia ) was declared a Soviet Republic. In March 1922, the Abkhaz Revolutionary committee renamed the region the SSR of Abkhazia . Despite the declaration of this new Soviet Republic, its relations with Georgia and Russia had yet to be formally settled. On December 16, 1921, Abkhazia signed

1462-877: The Transcaucasian Federation . Competing ethno-national interests and confrontation with the Ottoman Empire in World War I led to the dissolution of the Transcaucasian Federation only two months later, in April 1918. The three successor states—the First Republic of Armenia , the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan , and the Democratic Republic of Georgia —lasted until the end of the Russian Civil War that

1548-586: The Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (TSFSR). The downgrading of Abkhazia was not a popular one amongst the Abkhaz population. The SSR Abkhazia had a considerable degree of autonomy, including its own national symbols (a flag and coat-of-arms), and national army units, a right only given to full republics. It also had its own constitution, another right only granted to full republics. When it

1634-523: The Truman Doctrine in 1947, Turkey strengthened its ties with the West. The Soviet Union relinquished its claims over the lost territories, and Ankara joined the anti-Soviet NATO military alliance in 1952. With the republic suffering heavy losses after the war, Stalin allowed an open immigration policy in Armenia; the diaspora were invited to repatriate to Armenia ( nergaght ) and revitalize

1720-666: The Tsitsernakaberd hill above the Hrazdan gorge in Yerevan in 1967. Monuments in honor of other important events in Armenian history , such as that commemorating the Sardarapat and Bash Abaran , were also permitted to be erected, as was the sculpting of the statues of popular Armenian figures like the fifth-century military commander Vardan Mamikonian and the folk hero David of Sassoun . The Brezhnev era also saw

1806-851: The United Nations as part of the Soviet Union but it had Norair Sisakian as President of the 21st session of the UNESCO General Conference in 1964. The Soviet Union was also a member of Comecon , Warsaw Pact and the International Olympic Committee . The military forces of the Armenian SSR were provided by the Soviet Army 's 7th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Transcaucasian Military District . It

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1892-473: The oil fields in Azerbaijan. Still, Armenia played a valuable role in the war in providing food, manpower and war material. An estimated 300–500,000 Armenians served in the war, almost half of whom did not return. Many attained the highest honor of Hero of the Soviet Union . Over sixty Armenians were promoted to the rank of general, and with an additional four eventually achieving the rank of Marshal of

1978-548: The referendum on independence on 9 April 1991. A power-sharing deal was agreed upon in August 1991, dividing electoral districts by ethnicity, with the 1991 elections held under this format, though it did not last. However, with the breakdown of the Gamsakhurida government in Georgia, and efforts by Eduard Shevardnadze to delegitimize Gamsakhurdia by failing to honour agreements he signed, and Abkhaz desires to utilize

2064-431: The "oldest civilisation on the territory" of the Soviet Union. Like all the other republics of the Soviet Union, Armenia had its own flag and coat of arms. According to Nikita Khrushchev , the latter became a source of dispute between the Soviet Union and Turkey in the 1950s, when Ankara objected to the inclusion of Mount Ararat , which holds a deep symbolic importance for Armenians but is located on Turkish territory, in

2150-557: The 1949 Soviet deportations to Central Asia and Siberia with earlier Ottoman deportations. Following the power struggle after Stalin's death in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev emerged as the country's new leader. In his "secret speech" " On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences " that he delivered before the 20th Congress of the Soviet Communist Party in 1956, Khrushchev sharply denounced Stalin and his crimes. During

2236-721: The 1980s fueled Armenian visions of a better life under Soviet rule. Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh , which was promised to Armenia by the Bolsheviks but transferred to Soviet Azerbaijan, began a movement to unite the area with Armenia. The majority Armenian population expressed concern about the forced "Azerification" of the region. On February 20, 1988, the Supreme Soviet of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast voted to unify with Armenia. Demonstrations took place in Yerevan in support of

2322-621: The Abkhaz Supreme Soviet passed a declaration, "On Abkhazia's State Sovereignty," which gave supremacy to Abkhaz laws over Georgian ones. The Supreme Soviet also declared Abkhazia to be a full union republic within the Soviet Union. The victory of a nationalist coalition in October 1990 only further led to increased issues, as the newly elected Chairman of the Georgian Supreme Soviet , Zviad Gamsakhurdia ,

2408-477: The Armenian NKVD. Under the command of Beria's allies, the campaign against "enemies" intensified. Expressions of "nationalism" were suspect and many leading Armenian writers, artists, scientists, and intellectuals were executed or imprisoned, including Charents, Axel Bakunts , Gurgen Mahari , Nersik Stepanyan , and others. According to Amatuni in a June 1937 letter to Stalin, 1,365 people were arrested in

2494-683: The Armenian SSR of 1978 remained in effect until July 5, 1995, when the Constitution of Armenia was adopted. The structure of government in the Armenian SSR was identical to that of the other Soviet republics. The First Secretary was the administrative head of the republic, and the head of government was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers . The republic's legislative body was the Armenian Supreme Soviet , which included

2580-468: The Armenian diaspora, but who were suspected of being Dashnak party members. Lazare Indjeyan ' s Les Années volées and Armand Maloumian ' s Les Fils du Goulag are two repatriate narratives about being incarcerated and eventual escape from gulags . Many other repatriate narratives explore family memories of the genocide and the decision to resettle in the Soviet Union. Some writers compare

2666-737: The Armenians living in the Republic upon their arrival. The repatriates spoke the Western Armenian dialect, instead of the Eastern Armenian spoken in Soviet Armenia. They were often addressed as aghbars ("brothers") by Armenians living in the republic, due to their different pronunciation of the word. Although initially used in humor, the word went on to carry on a more pejorative connotation. Their treatment by

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2752-457: The Armenians, led by former leaders of the republic, rose up in revolt and briefly unseated the communists in Yerevan. The Red Army , which was campaigning in Georgia at the time, returned to suppress the revolt and drove its leaders out of Armenia. Convinced that these heavy-handed tactics were the source of the alienation of the native population to Soviet rule, in 1921, Lenin appointed Myasnikyan, an experienced administrator, to carry out

2838-1216: The Diaspora were revived, and Armenians from abroad began to visit the republic more frequently. The Matenadaran , a facility to house ancient and medieval manuscripts was erected in 1959, and important historical studies were prepared by a new cadre of Soviet-trained scholars. Mikoyan was not the only Armenian figure who rose to prominence during this era. Other famed Soviet Armenians included composers Aram Khachaturian , Arno Babajanian , Konstantin Orbelyan , and Tigran Mansurian ; scientists Viktor Hambardzumyan and Artem Alikhanyan ; actors Armen Dzhigarkhanyan and Frunzik Mkrtchyan ; filmmakers Frunze Dovlatyan , Henrik Malyan , Sergei Parajanov , and Artavazd Peleshyan ; artists Minas Avetisyan , Yervand Kochar , Hakob Kojoyan , and Tereza Mirzoyan ; singers Georgi Minasyan , Raisa Mkrtchyan , and Ruben Matevosyan ; and writers Silva Kaputikyan , Sero Khanzadyan , Hrant Matevosyan , Paruyr Sevak , and Hovhannes Shiraz , among many others. After Leonid Brezhnev assumed power in 1964, many of Khrushchev's reforms were curtailed. However, although

2924-593: The Soviet Union : Ivan Bagramyan (the first non- Slavic commander to hold the position of front commander when he was assigned to be the commander of the First Baltic Front in 1943), Admiral Ivan Isakov , Hamazasp Babadzhanian , and Sergei Khudyakov . Another prominent wartime figure was Artem Mikoyan , the younger brother of Anastas and the designer and co-founder of the Soviet MiG fighter jet company. In an effort to shore up popular support for

3010-591: The Soviet Union in a reformed form. Armenia confirmed its independence in a referendum on 21 September 1991 after the unsuccessful coup attempt in Moscow by the CPSU hardliners. The republic's independence became official with the Belovezh Accords and the formal dissolution of the Soviet state on December 26, 1991, making Armenia a sovereign independent state on the international stage. The constitution of

3096-516: The Soviet Union under Stalin. In 1936, Beria and Stalin worked to deport Armenians to Siberia in an attempt to bring Armenia's population under 700,000 in order to justify an annexation into Georgia. Armenia was spared the devastation and destruction that wrought most of the western Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War of World War II. The Wehrmacht never reached the South Caucasus , which they intended to do in order to capture

3182-597: The Soviet Union, and exacerbated ethnic tensions between Georgians and other groups, in particular the Abkhaz and Ossetians. Further riots in Sukhumi opposing the establishment of a branch of the Tbilisi State University exacerbated Abkhaz nationalism. Tensions remained high in Abkhazia and saw the Abkhaz totally disregard Georgian authority in the region. This was confirmed on 25 August 1990, when

3268-408: The Soviet era. Under korenizatsiia the Abkhaz were not considered one of the "advanced" peoples in the USSR, and thus saw an increased focus on their national language and cultural development. As part of these policies, the Abkhaz language script was Latinized in 1928, along with many other regional languages in the USSR, moving from the original Cyrillic-based script in the process. This policy

3354-407: The Soviet government was not much better. A number of Armenian immigrants in 1946 had their belongings confiscated upon arrival at Odessa 's port, as they had taken with them everything they had, including clothes and jewelry. This was the first disappointment experienced by Armenians; however, as there was no possibility of return the Armenians were forced to continue their journey to Armenia. Many of

3440-411: The Soviet state remained ever wary of the resurgence of Armenian nationalism , it did not impose the sort of restrictions as were seen during Stalin's time. On 24 April 1965, thousands of Armenians demonstrated in the streets of Yerevan during the fiftieth anniversary of the Armenian genocide. In the aftermath of these demonstrations, the memorial in honor of the victims of the genocide was completed at

3526-541: The advancing 11th Soviet Red Army . Afterwards, in the treaties of Moscow and Kars , Turkey renounced its claims to Batumi to Georgia in exchange for Kars , Ardahan , and Surmalu , including the medieval Armenian capital Ani and the cultural icon of the Armenian people, Mount Ararat . Additionally, despite opposition from Armenian Bolshevik revolutionary Alexander Miasnikian , the Soviet government granted Nagorno-Karabakh and Nakhichevan to Soviet Azerbaijan , as they did not have direct control over those areas at

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3612-413: The agreement the northern half with significant Georgian Muslim population would become part of the Soviet Georgia but granted autonomy. Another autonomous republic was established in July 1920 in Nakhchivan , an area bordering Armenia, Turkey and Iran, which was claimed by Armenians and Azerbaijanis. After the occupation of the region by the Red Army , the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

3698-469: The attacks against the Church. These attacks culminated in the 1938 murder of Khoren and the closing of the Catholicate of Ejmiatsin, an act for which Beria is usually held responsible. However, the Church survived and was later revived when Stalin eased restrictions on religion at the end of World War II . In addition to the repression of the Church, tens of thousands of Armenians were executed or deported, as with various other ethnic minorities living in

3784-418: The coat of arms. Turkey felt that the presence of such an image implied Soviet designs on Turkish territory. Khrushchev retorted by asking, "Why do you have a moon depicted on your flag? After all, the moon doesn't belong to Turkey, not even half the moon. Do you want to take over the whole universe?" Turkey dropped the issue after this. The Armenian SSR, as a Soviet republic, was internationally recognized by

3870-434: The collapse of the empire, in May 1918, Armenia, and its neighbors Azerbaijan and Georgia , declared their independence from Russian rule and each established their respective republics. After the near-annihilation of the Armenians during the Armenian genocide and the subsequent Turkish-Armenian War , the historic Armenian area in the Ottoman Empire was overrun with despair and devastation. A number of Armenians joined

3956-612: The country's population and bolster its workforce. Armenians living in countries such as Cyprus , France , Greece , Iraq , Lebanon , and Syria were primarily the survivors or the descendants of the genocide . They were offered the option of having their expenses paid by the Soviet government for their trip back to their homeland. An estimated 150,000 Armenians immigrated to Soviet Armenia between 1946 and 1948 and settled in Yerevan, Leninakan , Kirovakan and other towns. Lured by numerous incentives such as food coupons, better housing and other benefits, they were received coldly by

4042-736: The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, these were abolished in 1995 and replaced by larger marzer ("provinces"). Depending on the historical period, Soviet authorities would variously tolerate, co-opt, undermine, or sometimes even attempt to eliminate certain currents within Armenian society, such as nationalism and religion, to strengthen the cohesiveness of the Union. In the eyes of early Soviet policymakers, Armenians, along with Russians , Ukrainians , Belarusians , Georgians , Germans, and Jews were deemed "advanced" (as opposed to "backward") peoples, and were grouped together with Western nationalities. The Caucasus and particularly Armenia were recognized by academic scholars and in Soviet textbooks as

4128-417: The earthquake hit on the morning of 7 December 1988, the houses and apartments least able to resist collapse were those built during the Brezhnev years. Ironically, the older the dwellings, the better they withstood the quake. Armenian First Secretary Karen Demirchyan assumed office with a mandate to combat these abuses. Mikhail Gorbachev 's introduction of the reforms of glasnost and perestroika in

4214-410: The first Kurdish film, Zare , in 1926. Both were directed by Hamo Bek-Nazaryan , who would later direct the first Armenian sound film Pepo , released in 1935. The situation in Armenia and the USSR significantly changed after the death of Lenin and the rise of Joseph Stalin to Soviet leader. In the Caucasus, Stalin's ally in Georgia, Lavrentiy Beria , sought to consolidate his control over

4300-697: The four founding republics of the USSR. When the TSFSR was dissolved in 1936, Armenia became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. As part of the Soviet Union, Armenia initially experienced stabilization under the administration of Alexander Miasnikian during Vladimir Lenin 's New Economic Policy (NEP). During its seventy-one year history, the republic was transformed from a largely agricultural hinterland to an important industrial production center, while its population almost quadrupled from around 880,000 in 1926 to 3.3 million in 1989 due to natural growth and large-scale influx of Armenian genocide survivors and their descendants. Soviet Armenia suffered during

4386-447: The grievances the Abkhaz felt and argued that despite the concessions of 1978, autonomy had largely been ignored in the region. It concluded by asking for Abkhazia to be removed from the Georgian SSR, and it to be restored as a full Soviet republic, akin to the SSR Abkhazia. This was followed in March 1989 with the Lykhny Declaration , which was a document signed by some 37,000 people. This led to protests in Georgia, which culminated into

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4472-459: The highest judicial branch of the republic, the supreme court. Members of the Supreme Soviet served for a term of five years, whereas regional deputies served for two and a half years. All officials holding office were mandated to be members of the Communist Party and sessions were convened in the Supreme Soviet building in Yerevan. The administrative divisions of the Armenian SSR from 1930 consisted of up 37 raions and 22 city districts. After

4558-416: The immigrants were targeted by Soviet intelligence agencies and the Ministry of Interior for real or perceived ties to Armenian nationalist organizations, and were later sent to labor camps in Siberia and elsewhere, where they would not be released until after Stalin's death . Thousands of Armenians were forcibly exiled to the Altai Krai in 1949. Many were repatriated Armenians who had arrived from

4644-399: The labor of others. The economic life of the Republic is determined and guided by the state economic plan. By 1935, the gross product of agriculture was 132% of that of 1928 and the gross product of industry was 650% to that of 1928. The economic revolution of the 1930s, however, came at a great cost: it broke up the traditional peasant family and village institution and forced many living in

4730-410: The name of both the Armenian and Georgian Soviet Republics. Turkey itself was in no condition to fight a war with the Soviet Union, which had emerged as a superpower after the Second World War. The Soviet territorial claims were supported by the Armenian Catholicos and by all shades of the Armenian diaspora, including the anti-Soviet Dashnaksutiun. However, with the onset of the Cold War , especially

4816-409: The newly founded Soviet state. From 1828, with the Treaty of Turkmenchay to the October Revolution in 1917, Eastern Armenia had been part of the Russian Empire and partly confined to the borders of the Erivan Governorate . After the October Revolution, Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin 's government announced that minorities in the empire could pursue a course of self-determination. Following

4902-442: The ongoing Georgian Civil War , it fell apart. Thus on 23 July 1992, the Abkhaz Supreme Soviet re-instated the 1925 constitution, which had called Abkhazia a sovereign state, albeit one in treaty union with Georgia. Georgia responded militarily on 14 August, starting a war that would last until September 1993 , and further lead to the ongoing Abkhaz–Georgian conflict . The Abkhaz language saw multiple changes in script during

4988-418: The policy of korenizatsiya or " nativization " in the republics which essentially called for the different nationalities of the Soviet Union to "administer their republics", establishing native-language schools, newspapers, and theaters. In Armenia, the Soviet government directed all illiterate citizens up to the age of fifty to attend school and learn to read Armenian , which became the official language of

5074-505: The process of industrialization in Armenia. The Republic's economic foundation is the socialist system of economy and the socialist ownership of the means of production, which has two forms: state property and cooperative and collective-farm property. In addition to the socialist system of economy, which is the predominant form of economy in the Republic, the law permits small private undertakings of individual peasants and handicraftsmen based on their own labor and precluding exploitation of

5160-503: The region, resulting in a political struggle with Armenian First Secretary Aghasi Khanjian . The struggle culminated in Khanjian's assassination by Beria in Tiflis (Tbilisi) on 9 July 1936, beginning the Great Purge in Armenia. At first, Beria framed Khanjian's death as "suicide", but soon condemned him for abetting "rabid nationalist elements". After Khanjian's death, Beria promoted his loyalists in Armenia, Amatuni Amatuni as Armenian First Secretary and Khachik Mughdusi as chief of

5246-406: The region. The TSFSR was dissolved upon the adoption of the 1936 Soviet Constitution and its constituent republics were elevated individually to republics of the Soviet Union. The roots of a Transcaucasian condominium state trace back to the dissolution of the Russian Empire in 1918, following the October Revolution , when the provinces of the Caucasus seceded and formed their own state called

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5332-444: The republic became officially known as the Socialist Soviet Republic of Armenia . After the dissolution of the TSFSR in 1936, the name was changed to the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic , which was used until 1991. In Armenian , the official name was initially " Socʼialistakan Xorhrdayin Hayastani Hanrapetutʼyun ". From 1936, the official name became " Hayastani Socʼialistakan Xorhrdayin Hanrapetutʼyun ". The form of " Hayastani "

5418-404: The republic. Throughout the Soviet era, the number of Armenian-language newspapers ( Sovetakan Hayastan ), magazines ( Garun ), and journals ( Sovetakan Grakanutyun , Patma-Banasirakan Handes ) grew. A Kurdish newspaper , Riya Teze ( The New Path ), was established in Armenia in 1930. An institute for culture and history was created in 1921 in Ejmiatsin , the Yerevan Opera Theater and

5504-401: The rise of the shadow economy and corruption. Materials allocated for the building of new homes, such as cement and concrete, were diverted for other uses. Bribery and a lack of oversight saw the construction of shoddily built and weakly supported apartment buildings. The impact of such developments was to be demonstrated several years later in the catastrophic earthquake that hit Spitak . When

5590-404: The rural countryside to settle in urban areas. Private enterprise came to a virtual end as it was effectively brought under government control. 40°14′N 44°34′E  /  40.23°N 44.57°E  / 40.23; 44.57 Abkhaz ASSR The Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic , abbreviated as Abkhaz ASSR , was an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union within

5676-583: The separate republics' issues on October 1. The first issues consisted of some of the stamps of Russia and Armenia overprinted with a star containing the five-letter acronym of the Federation inside the points. Massive inflation having set in, this was followed by an issue of the Federation's own designs, four values of a view of oil fields , and four with a montage of Soviet symbols over mountains and oil derricks , values ranging from 40,000 to 500,000 Transcaucasian rubles . The 40,000 rubles and 75,000 rubles were then surcharged to 700,000 rubles. On October 24,

5762-399: The shortcomings of the Soviet economy. On August 23, 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR adopted the Declaration of Independence of Armenia , declaring the Republic of Armenia to be a subject of international law . On 17 March 1991, Armenia, along with the Baltics , Georgia and Moldova , boycotted the union-wide referendum in which 78% of all voters voted for the retention of

5848-589: The stamps were re-issued with values from 1 to 18 gold kopecks . Starting in 1924, the Federation used stamps of the Soviet Union . Most of the stamps of the Federation are not especially rare today, with 1998 prices in the US$ 1–2 range, although the overprints on Armenian stamps range up to US$ 200. As might be expected from a short period of usage, used stamps are less common than unused and covers are not often seen. Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic ( ArSSR ), also known as Soviet Armenia , or simply Armenia ,

5934-582: The subsequent Khrushchev Thaw , the Soviet leadership largely loosened political restrictions and put more resources into housing and consumer goods. Almost immediately, Armenia underwent a cultural and economic rebirth. Religious freedom , to a limited degree, was granted to Armenia when Catholicos Vazgen I assumed the duties of his office in 1955. One of Khrushchev's advisers and close friends, Armenian Politburo member Anastas Mikoyan , urged Armenians to reaffirm their national identity . In March 1954, two years before Khrushchev denounced Stalin, Mikoyan gave

6020-528: The ten months after the death of Khanjian, among them 900 "Dashnak- Trotskyists ". The arrest and death of Sahak Ter-Gabrielyan in August 1937 was a turning point in the repressions. When being interrogated by Mughdusi, Ter-Gabrielyan "either jumped or was thrown from" the window of the NKVD building in Yerevan . Stalin was angered that Mughdusi and Amatuni neglected to inform him about the incident. In response, in September 1937, he sent Georgy Malenkov , Mikhail Litvin , and later Anastas Mikoyan to oversee

6106-492: The time and were primarily concerned with restoring regional stability. From 12 March 1922 to 5 December 1936, Armenia was a part of the Transcaucasian SFSR (TSFSR) together with the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic . The policies of the first Soviet Armenian government, the Revolutionary Committee ( Revkom ), headed by young, inexperienced, and militant communists such as Sarkis Kasyan and Avis Nurijanian , were implemented in

6192-480: The war effort, the Soviet government allowed certain expressions of nationalism with the publication of Armenian novels such as Derenik Demirchian 's Vardanank , the production of films like David Bek (1944), and the easing of restrictions placed against the Church. Stalin temporarily relaxed his attacks on religion during the war. This led to the election of bishop Gevorg in 1945 as new Catholicos Gevorg VI . He

6278-467: Was approved by Beria. The Armenian Apostolic Church was not spared from the repressions. Soviet attacks against the Church under Stalin were known since 1929, but momentarily eased to improve the Soviet Union's relations with the Armenian diaspora . In 1932, Khoren I became Catholicos of All Armenians and assumed the leadership of the church. However, in the late 1930s, the Armenian NKVD, led by Mughdusi and his successor, Viktor Khvorostyan , renewed

6364-594: Was being fought across the mountains, when they were invaded by the Red Army and sovietized . Following the proposal by Vladimir Lenin the three now Soviet Republics, the Armenian , Azerbaijani and Georgian SSRs , were united into the Federative Union of Socialist Soviet Republics of Transcaucasia on 12 March 1922. On 13 December that year, the First All-Caucasian Congress of Soviets transformed this federation of states into

6450-652: Was declared with "close ties" to the Azerbaijani SSR. The Treaty of Moscow and the Treaty of Kars established the Nakhchivan region as an autonomous republic under the protection of the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan. Before 1923, Georgia , Armenia , and Azerbaijan each issued their own postage stamps . The Transcaucasian Federation began issuing its own stamps on September 15, 1923, and superseded

6536-627: Was downgraded to that of an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Georgian SSR. The Adjar ASSR was established on July 16, 1921, within the Georgian SSR as a consequence of the Treaty of Kars . The treaty marking the end of the Caucasus Campaign in World War I provided for the division of the former Batum Oblast of the Kutais Governorate of the Russian Empire between Georgia and Turkey. According to

6622-638: Was governed by Communist Party of Armenia , a republican branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union . Soviet Armenia was established on 29 November 1920, with the Sovietization of the short-lived First Republic of Armenia . Consequently, historians often refer to it as the Second Republic of Armenia . It became part of the Transcaucasian SFSR (TSFSR), along with neighboring Georgia and Azerbaijan, which comprised one of

6708-570: Was granted considerable amounts of autonomy, by virtue of its unique status in relation to Georgia. However this concerned the Soviet and Georgian authorities, and it was reduced to that of other autonomous republics . So on 19 February 1931 the SSR Abkhazia was reformed as the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, wholly under the control of Georgia, which itself was a constituent republic of

6794-556: Was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union , located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia . Soviet Armenia bordered the Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Georgia and the independent states of Iran and Turkey . The capital of the republic was Yerevan and it contained thirty-seven districts (raions). Other major cities in the ArmSSR included Leninakan , Kirovakan , Hrazdan , Etchmiadzin , and Kapan . The republic

6880-410: Was organized into the following: Under the Soviet system, the centralized economy of the republic banned private ownership of income-producing property. Beginning in the late 1920s, privately owned farms in Armenia were collectivized and placed under the directive of the state, although this was often met with active resistance by the peasantry. During the same time (1929–1936), the government also began

6966-533: Was outspoken in his desire to reduce the autonomy of the non-Georgian population in the country. By this point, however, Georgian authority had effectively ceased in Abkhazia: Abkhazia took part in the Soviet referendum on 17 March 1991, which the rest of Georgia boycotted, while the non-Georgian population of the region (along with South Ossetia , another autonomous region of Georgia), in turn boycotted

7052-461: Was reformed into the Abkhaz SSR protests broke out in the region, the first time large-scale protests against the Soviet authorities had occurred there. The advent of perestroika allowed the Abkhaz an outlet to express their dissatisfaction of their status within Georgia. In 1988 a letter, signed by leading Abkhazians, was forwarded to Mikhail Gorbachev and the Soviet leadership. It outlined

7138-481: Was replaced by " Haykakan ", as well as words "Soviet" and "socialist" were swapped the position, which making the name was changed to " Haykakan Xorhrdayin Socʼialistakan Hanrapetutʼyun ". In 1940, the direct borrowing translations of "Soviet" and "republic" replaced native Armenian words, adjusting the name to " Haykakan Sovetakan Socʼialistakan Respublika ". In the 1960s, the native word for "republic"

7224-599: Was restored. Prior to Soviet rule, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF, Dashnaksutiun) had governed the First Republic of Armenia . The Socialist Soviet Republic of Armenia was founded in 1920. Diaspora Armenians were divided about this; supporters of the nationalist Dashnaksutiun did not support the Soviet state, while supporters of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) were more positive about

7310-535: Was subsequently allowed to reside in Ejmiatsin . At the end of the war, after Germany's capitulation, the Soviet government attempted to annul the Treaty of Kars , allowing it to regain the provinces of Kars , Ardahan , Artvin , and Surmalu . On 7 June 1945, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov informed the Turkish ambassador in Moscow that the disputed provinces should be returned to Soviet Union in

7396-497: Was vested with the Council of Ministers appointed by the Supreme Soviet. The Abkhaz ASSR had 11 representatives in the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia (SSR Abkhazia) had been established in 1921 after the Red Army invaded Georgia . The SSR Abkhazia, which was united with the Georgian SSR later that year as a "treaty republic," existed until 1931. During this time it

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