As part of the Soviet Union , the Armenian SSR 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 . On August 23 , 1990 , it was renamed the Republic of Armenia after its sovereignty was declared , but remained in the Soviet Union until its official proclamation of independence on 21 September 1991 . Its independence was recognized on 26 December 1991 when the Soviet Union ceased to exist . After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the state of the post-Soviet Republic of Armenia existed until the adoption of the new constitution in 1995
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic