ԳԵՐՄԱՆԱ-ՀԱՅԿԱԿԱՆ ԸՆԿԵՐՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԳՈՐԾՈՒՆԵՈՒԹՅՈՒՆԸ ԵՐԿՐՈՐԴ ԱՇԽԱՐՀԱՄԱՐՏԻ ԺԱՄԱՆԱԿԱՇՐՋԱՆՈՒՄ ԵՎ ՆՐԱ ԼՈՒԾԱՐՈՒՄԸ (1939-1956 ԹԹ.) / ACTIVITIES OF THE GERMAN-ARMENIAN SOCIETY DURING WORLD WAR II AND ITS DISSOLUTION (1939-1956)

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The purpose of the article is to highlight the pro-Armenian activities of the GermanArmenian Society (hereinafter referred to as GAS, German: Deutsch-Armenische Gesellschaft, DAG) during the Second World War, based on specific factual materials. In particular, reference was made to the company's Armenian rescue activities, the steps taken by it in the direction of forming a pro-Armenian public opinion in Germany and strengthening Armenian-German cultural ties are presented. Considering that many ongoing global processes today have certain appeals with the issue that has become the subject of our study, the importance of highlighting this issue from the perspective of Armenian political and historical thought becomes clear. To achieve the stated objective, during the research of the topic, the following primary tasks were set: to critically analyze the activities carried out by the organization during the Second World War on the basis of specific factual materials, to showcase their main results, and to clarify the reason for its dissolution. Although individual issues related to the topic to one degree or another have been studied at a proper level, it is nevertheless notable that the issue that has become the subject of our study has not previously undergone a complete and systematic examination within these chronological boundaries. The investigation has been largely based on wide range of valuable German sources that have not yet been circulated in historiography. The study was conducted using a methodology of comparative and critical analysis of diverse primary sources and literature related to the topic, applying historical descriptive method and the principle of historicity. The main conclusion made within the framework of the research is that during the war years, GAS, without deviating from its ideological foundations, continued its proArmenian activities and the promotion of Armenian-German cultural ties. Along with this, it should be noted that under war conditions, having no contact with its members outside of Berlin and being unable to recruit members, the company suspended its activities in 1944 and was removed from the list of Berlin associations in 1956.