In February 1988, the local parliament of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, an Armenian-majority region within Azerbaijan, convened and voted overwhelmingly for secession from Azerbaijan and for unification with Armenia. This highly controversial decision was primarily fueled by ethnic tensions that had been exacerbating throughout the Soviet era. Despite the region's legal status as part of Azerbaijan, the overwhelming majority of the population identified culturally and linguistically with Armenia, leading to growing demands for self-determination. The vote revealed deep-seated grievances between the Armenian population and Azerbaijani authorities, stemming from historical, political, and nationalist issues.

Following the vote, the conflict intensified, marked by protests that escalated into violent confrontations. This marked the tipping point for both the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities, leading to armed clashes that would later evolve into the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. The central Soviet authorities, unable to mediate effectively, struggled to contain the rising tensions, which soon spiraled out of control. This situation created a humanitarian crisis, with thousands displaced from their homes as violence spread.

The aftermath of the vote and the war that followed resulted in significant geopolitical changes in the South Caucasus region, fostering animosity that continues to affect Armenian-Azerbaijani relations to this day. The war officially ended with a fragile and disputed ceasefire in 1994, but the underlying conflicts remained unresolved, leading to recurrent hostilities in subsequent decades. The 1988 vote is thus a pivotal moment in both national and regional histories, demonstrating the powerful influence of ethnic nationalism and the complexities involved in the dissolution of Soviet territories.