Armenia fell into Russian hands after the Russo-Persian war in the late 1820s, and with Russia it remained even as Russia itself changed from monarchy to communism. The Armenians were relatively safer than they were under Ottoman rule, when thousands were rounded up by the Turkish authorities, never to be heard from again. But they had little in the way of freedom, particularly under Joseph Stalin, the native of the republic of Georgia, which was at war with Armenia in 1918. They were discouraged from expressing their nationalist sentiments, but never gave up on independence.

On this day, August 23, in 1990, sensing USSR’s weakening control in the region Armenia declared independence. The republic had been engaged in a bloody conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan for years, and the last straw came when a part of Armenia near Azerbaijan broke away to join the Azeris.

After the failed coup attempt on Mikhail Gorbachev, Armenia made it official: a referendum was held on the question of independence and the vote came back overwhelmingly in favor. After 70 years of Soviet rule, Armenia was now independent state. Several months later, the first presidential elections by popular vote took place and Levon Ter-Petrossian became the first popularly elected President in Armenian history.