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95-471: The ground-breaking of the Opera Theatre took place on 28 November 1930 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Soviet Armenia . On 20 January 1933, the building was officially opened. Soon after the theatre foundation, a ballet troupe was established. Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was the first ballet performance in 1935. Based on Tamanian's design and under the supervision of his son

190-496: A humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ) with very warm summers and cold winters. Temperatures can reach up to 38 °C (100 °F) during summer, and can fall to −15 °C (5 °F) during winter. The Shikahogh State Preserve , founded in 1958, is located around 14 km (9 mi) south of Kapan, near the Shikahogh village. The preserve is home to about 1,100 species of plants, 70 of which have been registered in

285-454: 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

380-524: 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

475-647: 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

570-541: 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

665-587: A small settlement within the properties of the Siunia dynasty . Historically, it was part of the Baghk’ canton of Syunik , the ninth province of the historic Greater Armenia . Though originally a small settlement, by the late 9th and early 10th century, it was fortified by Prince Dzagik, becoming the residence of the Dzagikian princes. By the end of the 10th century, the ruler of Syunik, Prince Smbat II, moved to

760-496: 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

855-639: Is currently owned by Chaarat, a British company. It is currently working the Shahumyan deposit and produces around 65,000 ounces of gold equivalent in copper and zinc concentrates per year. Kapan is home to many industrial firms. The largest firms are Kapan CHSHSH for building materials founded in 1947, the Kapan machine tools plant founded in 1972, the Sonatex knitting factory founded in 1985, and Marila LLC for meat and dairy products founded in 2010. Tourism

950-481: Is growing in the region of Kapan. The nearby Wings of Tatev aerial tramway connecting Halidzor village with Tatev Monastery has greatly contributed to the development of the tourism sector. Many hotels and mountain resorts are set to open in the near future, while the upcoming opening of the Syunik Airport of Kapan will increase tourist access. Ark Ecological NGO , headquartered in Kapan, has been working on

1045-417: Is located 24 km (15 mi) north of Kapan. It is the longest reversible aerial tramway built in one section only. Kapan has two local TV companies: Khustup TV and Sosi TV. Khustup TV was founded in 2004 and covers the entire region of Syunik. Sosi TV was founded in 2012 and covers the central and southern parts of Syunik. The M-2 main road that connects the capital Yerevan with southern Armenia and

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1140-630: Is the most popular sport in Kapan. FC Gandzasar Kapan , founded in 2004, represented the town in the Armenian Premier League , playing their home games at Gandzasar Stadium . The club has won third place in the Armenian Premier League on three occasions: in 2008, 2011 and 2012–13. Gandzasar have the highest average attendance at home games in the league. In May 2013, Gandzasar Kapan opened their football pitches, including one with artificial turf. The academy became

1235-672: The Armenian Apostolic Church . The town's Saint Mesrop Mashtots Church opened in December 2001 and is regulated by the Diocese of Syunik of the Armenian Apostolic Church , based in the nearby town of Goris . The town is served by the Kapan Medical Center, which was fully modernized in 2015. The historic part of Kapan is located around 10 km (6 mi) km west of the modern-day town. As one of

1330-812: 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

1425-611: 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

1520-653: 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

1615-605: 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,

1710-852: The Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic claimed Kapan between 1918 and 1920. As a result of the sovietisation of Armenia in December 1920, Kapan was included in the Republic of Mountainous Armenia under the commandment of Garegin Nzhdeh , who fought against the Bolsheviks between 26 April and 12 July 1921. After the Soviet Red Army entered the Zangezur region in July 1921, Kapan, along with

1805-523: 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

1900-666: 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

1995-851: 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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2090-657: The Zangezur Mountains , between the Bargushat and Meghri ridges. The town is about 80 km (50 mi) north of the Iranian border. With a height of 3201 meters, Mount Khustup is the highest peak of the region. The elevation of Kapan is 750–1050 meters above sea level , with an average height of 910 meters. Two tributaries of the Voghji River , Vachagan and Kavart, flow through the town. Kapan has

2185-473: 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

2280-431: 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

2375-557: 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

2470-785: 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

2565-477: 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

2660-683: 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

2755-468: 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

2850-718: The Armenian operas Anush by Armen Tigranian have been staged at the opera house. It was a great step in Armenian opera history. Anush remains a part of the repertoire of the theatre. One of sopranos currently performing this role is Mary Movsisyan. Since it was opened, the Armenian National Opera & Ballet Theatre has performed more than 200 different operas and ballets by Armenian, Russian and Western European composers. The theatre company has performed in more than 20 countries, for example, in Russia, Spain, Lebanon , United States, Greece , and Germany. In 1956,

2945-737: 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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3040-592: The Armenians of Syunik against the Iranians and the invading Ottoman Turks. David Bek started his battles in 1722 with the help of thousands of local Armenians, including Avan Yuzbashi and Mkhitar Sparapet , taking control of Syunik. The centre of Bek's struggle was the Baghaberd Fortress northwest of Kapan and the Halidzor Fortress southwest of Kapan, where he died in 1728. In 1747, Kapan

3135-512: 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

3230-661: The Children's School of Arts opened in 1981, the public library, the children's and youth creativity centre opened in 1990, the Alexander Shirvanzade drama theatre of Kapan, as well as two schools of music, which opened in 1977 and 1986. A branch of the Modern Art Museum of Yerevan is also operating in Kapan. The Wings of Tatev cableway connecting Halidzor village with the Tatev Monastery

3325-1216: 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

3420-660: The Iranian border passes through Kapan. In late 2008, the road between Kapan and Meghri on the Iranian border was redeveloped. However, the Kapan- Zangilan - Mincivan railway line is currently inactive. Prior to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War , the nearby airport accommodated the YAK-40 and AN-14 cargo aircraft. In February 2017, the governor of Syunik Province, Vahe Hakobyan, announced that

3515-596: The Red Book of Armenia. The fauna of Shikahogh has not been fully explored, but studies have revealed rare species of animals such as leopard , wild goat , bear, viper, and hedgehog. Kapan is a major historic centre of the Armenian civilization within historic Syunik. A sizable Jewish community lived in its own quarter in Kapan during the Middle Ages. During the first half of the 19th century, many Russian and German engineers and workers arrived in Kapan to work in

3610-593: 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

3705-591: 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

3800-453: 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

3895-407: 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

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3990-411: 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

4085-541: 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

4180-442: The airfield would become a modern airport serving the town of Kapan and southern Armenia, and on June 6 a test landing was conducted at the airfield with the governor on board. According to the plan, the reconstruction of Kapan Airport was expected to be completed in 2018, with an estimated cost of US$ 2 million. The airport was reopened in 2023 and operates flights between the town and the capital city of Yerevan, thus making Kapan

4275-469: 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

4370-413: The beginning of the 16th century, Kapan became part of the Erivan Province within the Safavid Iran . In 1722, the Armenian principality of Kapan was established by uniting the noble families of Syunik into one state in order to fight against Muslim oppression. By the beginning of the 18th century, Kapan was associated with the Armenian military leader David Bek , who led the liberation campaign of

4465-461: The centre of the newly formed Syunik Province as per the 1995 administrative reforms of the republic. Many streets bearing the name of Bolshevik activists were changed. The town's central square was renamed after Garegin Nzhdeh , while the central park of the town was named after Vazgen Sargsyan . During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War , Kapan was bombarded by artillery coming from the neighboring Zangilan District of Azerbaijan, causing deaths among

4560-424: The civilian population. This prompted an Armenian operation to capture several nearby Azerbaijani border villages in December 1992. Kapan is the largest town in the Syunik province as well as the entire region of southern Armenia. It is located in the eastern part of Syunik, within the narrow valley of the Voghji River with a length of 13 km (8 mi) from the east to the west, at the southeastern slopes of

4655-418: 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

4750-434: 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

4845-461: The copper mines of the region. In 1850, Greek specialists also arrived in the town. The Greeks built the Saint Catherine Orthodox church near Kapan in 1865. The population of Kapan was at its peak with 45,711 citizens as per the 2001 census. However, the population has greatly declined during the first decade of the 21st century to 34,600 as per the 2016 official estimate. Currently, Kapan is almost entirely populated by ethnic Armenians who belong to

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4940-612: 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

5035-406: The development of ecotourism in the Syunik region since 2013, and is currently building hiking trail infrastructure to connect Kapan and the Tatev Monastery. Kapan is the education centre of southern Armenia. It has 13 public education schools, 3 music schools and 3 sport academies. The Kapan campus of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia is home to two faculties: Football

5130-736: 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

5225-417: 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

5320-410: 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

5415-428: The first developed technical football centre in the Syunik Province. Kapan is also home to the Davit Hambardzumyan Children and Youth Sport School, operated by the municipality since its inauguration in 1969. More than 200 athletes are involved in the sport school. The Kapan Futsal Club is a professional futsal team based in Kapan, playing their home games at the Davit Hambardzumyan Children and Youth Sports School in

5510-437: The following Treaty of Gulistan signed between Russia and Iran. In 1828–30, many Armenian families from the Iranian cities of Khoy and Salmast migrated to the region. In 1868, it became part of the Zangezur uezd within the Elizavetpol Governorate of the Russian Empire. By the last quarter of the 19th century, Kapan formed an important urban community for the region as a result of merging several villages together. Both

5605-697: 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

5700-459: 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

5795-419: The historic settlements of Armenia, Kapan and the surrounding areas are home to many heritage monuments of Armenian architecture, including: The town has several statues of prominent Armenian patriotic figures, such as the equestrian statue of Davit Bek erected in 1983, and Garegin Nzhdeh 's memorial opened in 2001. Other decorative statues in the town include the bear statue of Kajaran's Key erected in 1966,

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5890-416: 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

5985-399: 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

6080-410: 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

6175-409: 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

6270-418: 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

6365-505: 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

6460-423: The provincial capital of Syunik Province . It is located in the valley of the Voghji River and is on the northern slopes of Mount Khustup . Kapan is the most populous town in the Syunik Province as well as the entire region of southern Armenia. According to the 2011 census, the population of Kapan was 43,190, a slight decline from 45,711 in the 2001 census. According to the 2022 census, the current population of

6555-503: 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

6650-444: 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 "

6745-404: 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

6840-401: 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

6935-490: 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 Kapan Kapan ( Armenian : Կապան [kɑˈpɑn] ) is a town in southeast Armenia , serving as the administrative centre of the Kapan Municipality and also as

7030-575: 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

7125-633: The statue of the Girl from Zangezur erected in 1978, the World War II memorial opened in 1987, and the memorial to Armenian genocide erected in 1988. Currently, the town is home to the Kapan Museum of Geology and the Kapan history museum named after Shmavon Movsisyan. Other cultural institutions of Kapan include the Children's School of Fine Arts opened in 1972, the House of Culture opened in 1977,

7220-582: 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

7315-743: 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

7410-461: The theatre hall was completed in 1939, and the opera building was named after Alexander Spendiaryan . Large-scale construction works did not finish until 1953, when the entire building was finally completed. The opening of the theatre promoted the creation of new national operas and ballets. The first Armenian ballet was Happiness by Aram Khachaturian . On the basis of this ballet the composer soon created Gayane which has been performed all over

7505-866: The theatre received the status of National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. The theatre has also hosted concerts performed by Charles Aznavour , Ian Anderson , John McLaughlin , Akvarium and many others. For the first time, the Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre will host a guest performance of «Giselle» by the English National Ballet . The performances are scheduled for May 10 and 11, 2024. 40°11′9″N 44°30′54″E  /  40.18583°N 44.51500°E  / 40.18583; 44.51500 Soviet Armenia The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic ( ArSSR ), also known as Soviet Armenia , or simply Armenia ,

7600-451: The third city in Armenia with an operating airport after Yerevan and Gyumri . Kapan is struggling to cope with the realities of post- Karabakh war and post- Soviet society. However, there are signs of growth and development. Kapan is primarily a mining centre, hence its Qajar -era Persian name of Ma'dan , meaning ' mine ' . Kapan has been a major centre for the production of many non-ferrous metals. The Kapan mining company

7695-820: 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

7790-482: The town is around 32,780. The name Kapan derives from the Classical Armenian common noun kapan ( կապան ), meaning ' mountain pass ' (related to the verb kapel ' to tie ' ). In later centuries, the name evolved into Ghap’an ( Ղափան ), which was in use until 1991, when the older form of the name was restored. The area of modern-day Kapan was first mentioned in the 5th century as

7885-582: The town of Kapan and founded the Kingdom of Syunik , proclaiming himself a king under the protectorate of the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia . As the capital of the Kingdom of Syunik, Kapan flourished throughout the 11th century, reaching around 20 thousand inhabitants, composed of mostly Armenians with a prominent Jewish minority, and being a center of trades, crafts, and metallurgy. In 1103, Kapan

7980-572: The towns of Goris , Sisian and Meghri , fell under the Soviet rule, where it was administered as part of the Armenian SSR . In September 1930, the Kafan raion was formed with Kapan as its administrative center. In 1938, Kapan received city status. Until 1991, the city was called Kafan in Russian and Ghap’an in Armenian. Following the independence of Armenia in 1991, Kapan became

8075-480: 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

8170-646: The world. Many other Armenian composers have written operas and ballets. Over the years, these artists have worked at the theatre: singers Gohar Gasparyan , Tatevik Sazandaryan , Mihran Yerkat, Pavel Lisitsian , Haykanoush Danielyan , Nar Hovhannisyan, Gegham Grigoryan , Anahit Mekhitarian ; conductors Konstantin Sarajev , Michael Tavrizyan, Aram Katanyan, Karen Durgaryan, Gianluca Marciano, Yuri Davtyan; ballet masters A. Petrosyan, M. Chmshkyan, Vanoush Khanamirian , Vilen Galstyan , Rudolf Kharatyan ; painters Martiros Saryan , Minas Avetisyan . Since 1935,

8265-467: 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

8360-638: Was entirely ruined by the Seljuk invaders. The medieval Armenian historian Stephen Orbelian of Syunik states that the Seljuks began massacring from the Jewish quarter of Kapan. After the fall of the Kingdom of Syunik in 1170, Syunik and the rest of the historic territories of Armenia suffered from the Seljuk, Mongol, Aq Qoyunlu and Kara Koyunlu invasions, in that order, between the 12th and 15th centuries. At

8455-568: 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

8550-607: Was incorporated into the Nakhichevan Khanate and by 1750, Kapan became part of the newly formed Karabakh Khanate . It was turned into a significant urban settlement during Qajar Iranian rule by the end of the 18th century. In 1813, the territory of historic Syunik, including the region of Kapan, officially became part of the Russian Empire as a result of the Russo-Persian War of 1804–13 and

8645-616: 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

8740-410: 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

8835-481: 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"

8930-662: 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

9025-587: 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

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