On September 21, 1991, Armenians voted to break from the Soviet Union, resulting in the re-emergence of an independent state for the first time in 70 years. The Soviet Union was losing its grip and in an attempt to reverse this, Mikhail Gorbachev held a referendum on March 17, 1991, in which most of the population voted to remain part of the USSR. Armenians held their own referendum in September in response, and nearly unanimously voted for freedom. This is the 31st anniversary of Armenia’s independence. However the holiday takes on a somber tone since Azerbaijan recently initiated new attacks against Armenia.