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(summary)
This article deals with subject of the Armenian Genocide, unprecedented by its scope and consequences, which was perpetrated in late 19 th and early 20 th century in Ottoman Turkey.
In 1915-1916 about 1,5 million Armenians were savagely exterminated and a great many of them died on the way to exile. Those who survived were deprived of their historical motherland and scattered all over the world.
Today parliaments of dozens of countries have acknowledged and condemned the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the government of Ottoman Turkey in early 20 th century.
It is worth to mention the outstanding contribution of Soviet Armenian historiography to the hard, enduring and complicated process of internationally acknowledging the Genocide and working against its denial. The Soviet Armenian historiography regarding the Genocide issue may be divided into three stages.
The first stage, 1920-1950 when under the pressure of communist ideology of the USSR the political atmosphere was saturated with the spirit of fear to be suspected or accused of nationalism. The topics like Armenian Genocide or national-liberation struggle were pushed out from the Soviet Armenian historiography. The existing very few works, being adhered to the reality of the time, reflected anti-academic emphasis.
The second stage of the Genocide research activities is connected with the preparation of the 50 th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which for the first time in the soviet reality was going to be marked on April 24, 1965. What is peculiar to this stage is that even under the circumstances of the soviet ideology very serious works have been written about this tragic side of the Armenian history. These works introduced the Genocide issue completely and academically. Irrefutable facts formulated the concept that the Armenian Genocide was being perpetrated methodically, systematically and continually on government level started from establishing the power of Ottoman Turkey in Armenian's territory and continued to 1922. Nevertheless, during this stage, the Soviet Armenian historiography could not overcome the barriers of ideologically restricted and cautious thinking.
The research of the Armenian Genocide received the second wind in 1985, due to Gorbachov's policy of reconstruction and reforms. This was the beginning of the third stage, where civic consciousness, the aspirations for unbiased assessments of events, diversity of opinions became criterion for research activities.
Thanks to Soviet Armenian history research, the idea of the Armenian Cause reached maturity in the public life of the society, whereas in previous stages the work for the Armenian cause belonged chiefly to the diaspora's Armenians.
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