The Karabakh movement ( hy, Ղարաբաղյան շարժում, also the Artsakh movement Արցախյան շարժում) was a national mass movement in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

and Nagorno-Karabakh from 1988 to 1991 that advocated for the transfer of the mainly Armenian-populated

Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its cap ...

of neighboring

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

to the jurisdiction of Armenia. Initially, the movement was entirely devoid of any

anti-Soviet Anti-Sovietism, anti-Soviet sentiment, called by Soviet authorities ''antisovetchina'' (russian: антисоветчина), refers to persons and activities actually or allegedly aimed against the Soviet Union or government power within the ...

sentiment and did not call for independence of Armenia. The

Karabakh Committee Karabakh Committee ( hy, Ղարաբաղ կոմիտե) was a group of Armenian intellectuals recognized by many Armenians as the ''de facto'' leaders in the late 1980s. The Committee was formed in 1988, with the stated objective of reunification of ...

, a group of intellectuals, led the movement from 1988 to 1989. It transformed into the

Pan-Armenian National Movement The Pan-Armenian National Movement or Armenian All-national Movement ( hy, Հայոց Համազգային Շարժում, translit=Hayots Hamazgain Sharzhum; HHS) was a political party in Armenia. History The party emerged from the resolution o ...

(HHSh) by 1989 and won majority in the 1990 parliamentary election. In 1991, both Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from the Soviet Union. The intense fighting known as the

first Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 t ...

turned into a full-scale war by 1992.

Timeline

1987

*September: the

Union for National Self-Determination Union for National Self-Determination ( hy, Ազգային ինքնորոշում միավորում; ''Azgayin ink’noroshum miavorum'') is an Armenian political party. It was founded in 1987 by Paruyr Hayrikyan, a Soviet dissident seeking indep ...

, the first non-Communist party, established in Armenia by

Paruyr Hayrikyan Paruyr Arshaviri Hayrikyan (born July 5, 1949) is an Armenian politician and former Soviet dissident. He was an early member and leader of the National United Party (NUP), which sought Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union. He spent a tot ...

*October 17: the first protests concerning ecological issues held in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

*October 18: a minor rally on

Freedom Square, Yerevan __NOTOC__ The Freedom Square or Liberty Square ( hy, Ազատության հրապարակ, ), also known as Opera Square and Theatre Square (Թատերական հրապարակ, ''T'aterakan hraparak'') until 1991, is a town square located in Ke ...

for the unification of Karabakh with Armenia

1988

*February 13: First demonstration in Stepanakert. Traditionally considered the start of the movement. *February 18–26: Major demonstrations held in

for the unification of Karabakh with Armenia. *February 20: the NKAO Supreme Council issued a request to transfer the region to Soviet Armenia *February 22–23: Local Armenians and Azerbaijanis clash in Askeran, resulting in several deaths *February 26: Demonstrations paused after

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Com ...

's asked for time to develop a position. *February 27–29: Sumgait pogrom starts, Armenians of Azerbaijan start to leave in large numbers *March 9: Gorbachev meets with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan Karen Demirchyan and Kamran Baghirov in Moscow to discuss the public demands of unification of Armenia and Karabakh. *March 22: Over 100,000 people discontented with the tendencies demonstrate in Yerevan. *March 23: The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union rejects the demand of NKAO Regional Party. *March 25: Gorbachev rejects Armenian claims, forbade demonstrations in Yerevan. *March 26: Despite not being authorized by the Moscow government, tens of thousands demonstrate in Yerevan. *March 30: NKAO Communist Party adopts a resolution demanding unification. *April 24: Hundreds of thousands of Armenians march to the genocide memorial in Yerevan. *May 21: Karen Demirchyan resigns. *May 28:

Flag of Armenia , Image = Flag of Armenia.svg , Use = 111000 , Symbol = , Proportion = 1:2 , Adoption = 28 May 1918 (re-adopted on 24 August 1990) , Design = A horizontal tricolour of red, blue, and apricot , Designer ...

first raised in front of

Matenadaran The Matenadaran ( hy, Մատենադարան), officially the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, is a museum, repository of manuscripts, and a research institute in Yerevan, Armenia. It is the world's largest repository of Armenia ...

. *June 15: Soviet Armenian Supreme Council votes in favor of the unification of NKAO. *June 17: Soviet Azerbaijani Supreme Council opposes the transfer of NKAO to Armenia. *June 28–29: Conference of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union disapproves Armenian claims to NKAO. *July 5: Zvartnots Airport clash, the Soviet troops confronted by protesters in Zvartnots Airport, one man left dead, tens injured. *July 12: NKAO Soviet Council votes in favor of unification with Armenia. *July 18: Soviet Supreme Council refuses Armenian claims. *July 21:

deported to Ethiopia. *fall: Around 150,000 Azerbaijanis of Armenia start to leave in large numbers. *September: State of emergency declared in Stepanakert after Armenian and Azerbaijanis clash. *November:

Kirovabad pogrom The Kirovabad pogrom or the pogrom of Kirovabad was an Azeri-led ethnic cleansing that targeted Armenians living in the city of Kirovabad (today called Ganja) in Soviet Azerbaijan during November 1988. Pogrom An unidentified Armenian press ed ...

*November 7: Hundreds of thousands demonstrate in Yerevan to support the

. *November 22: Soviet Armenian Supreme Council recognizes the Armenian Genocide. *November 24: State of emergency declared in Yerevan. *December 7: Armenian earthquake. *December 10:

members arrested, sent to Moscow.

1989

*March 16:

Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) (), also known as the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, (Armenian: Մեծամորի ատոմային էլեկտրակայան) is the only nuclear power plant in the South Caucasus, located 36 kilometers west o ...

shut down. *May 31:

members freed. *December 1: Soviet Armenian Supreme Council and NKAO Supreme Council declare the unification of the two entitie

1990

*January 13–19: Pogrom of Armenians in Baku. *May 20: 1990 Armenian parliamentary election, pro-independence members form majority. *August 4:

Levon Ter-Petrosyan Levon Hakobi Ter-Petrosyan ( hy, Լևոն Հակոբի Տեր-Պետրոսյան; born 9 January 1945), also known by his initials LTP, is an Armenian politician who served as the first president of Armenia from 1991 until his resignation in 1998 ...

elected chairman of the Supreme Council, ''de facto'' leader of Armenia. *August 23: Soviet Armenian Supreme Council declared independence.

1991

*April 30 – May 15: ''

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 t ...

'': Soviet and Azeri forces deport thousands of Armenians from Shahumyan during

Operation Ring Operation Ring (russian: link=no, Операция «Кольцо», translit=Operatsia Kol'tso; hy, «Օղակ» գործողություն, ), known in Azerbaijan as Operation Chaykand ( az, Çaykənd əməliyyatı) was the codename for th ...

. *August 19–21:

1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, also known as the August Coup,, "August Putsch". was a failed attempt by hardliners of the Soviet Union's Communist Party to forcibly seize control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev, who was Soviet ...

*September 2:

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Artsakh controls a part of the former N ...

proclaimed in Stepanakert.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Armenia–Azerbaijan relations Dissolution of the Soviet Union History of the Republic of Artsakh Armenian irredentism First Nagorno-Karabakh War Politics of the Republic of Artsakh Political organisations based in the Republic of Artsakh Protests in Armenia Protests in Azerbaijan Protests in the Soviet Union 1988 in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic 1989 in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic 1990 in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic 1991 in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic 1988 protests 1989 protests 1990 protests 1991 protests