Many Armenians still had nationalist and conservative sentiments, even though they were discouraged from expressing them publicly. On 24 April 1965, tens of thousands of Armenians flooded the streets of Yerevan to remind the world of the horrors that their parents and grandparents endured during the Armenian genocide of 1915. This was the first public demonstration of such high numbers in the USSR, which defended national interests rather than collective ones. In the late 1980s, Armenia was suffering from pollution. With Mikhail Gorbachev's introduction of glasnost and perestroika, public demonstrations became more common. Thousands of Armenians demonstrated in Yerevan because of the USSR's inability to address simple ecological concerns. Later on, with the conflict in Karabakh, the demonstrations obtained a more nationalistic flavour. Many Armenians began to demand statehood.
many armenians still had nationalist and conservative sentiments even though they were discouraged from expressing them publicly on 24 april 1965 tens of thousands of armenians flooded the streets of yerevan to remind the world of the horrors that their parents and grandparents endured during the armenian genocide of 1915 this was the first public demonstration of such high numbers in the ussr which defended national interests rather than collective ones in the late 1980s armenia was suffering from pollution with mikhail gorbachev's introduction of glasnost and perestroika public demonstrations became more common thousands of armenians demonstrated in yerevan because of the ussr's inability to address simple ecological concerns later on with the conflict in karabakh the demonstrations obtained a more nationalistic flavour many armenians began to demand statehood