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Index

Armenia

The Urartu Civilisation

Victory for Independence

Artashisian Dynasty on the Armenian Throne

Armenia caught between Rome and the Arsacids

The Acceptance of Christianity

Defending Christianity

Armenia Under the Bagratouni Dynasty

Cilicia - the New Armenia

Armenia Under Turanian Rule

The Renaissance or the Resurrection of Armenia

The Eastern Question

Russia in the Caucasus

The Armenian Question

Battle on Two Fronts

Tsarist Russia Against the Armenians

The Revolution of the Young Turks and the Armenian People on the Eve of World War I

The First World War

The Resurrection of Armenia

Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

- Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

Eastern Armenia

Western Armenia

"The Fateful Years" (1914-1917)

"Hopes and Emotions" (March-October, 1917)

The Bolshevik Revolution and Armenia

Transcaucasia Adrift (November, 1917

Dilemmas (March-April, 1918)

War and Independence (April-May, 1918)

The Republics of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia

The Suppliants (June-October, 1918)

In conclusion

Soviet Armenia

The Second Independent Republic of Armenia

Epilogue

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Transcaucasia Adrift (November, 1917 – March, 1918)

The stirring events from the Bolshevik coup to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk threw Transcaucasia into turmoil. Repeatedly expressing their dedication to the ideal of a united, democratic Russia, the Transcaucasian leaders believed initially that the creation of an interim regional administration until "liquidation of the Communist adventure" was sufficient. As the weeks slipped by, however, the Bolsheviks continued to master the central government, thus driving the border regions to pursue an ambivalent political course permitting independent action, but without entailing separation from Russia. This dichotomy only deepened the dilemma of Transcaucasia, which, bewildered by its own double-talk, was finally compelled in April, 1918, to proclaim independence. During this five-month interval, Transcaucasia was beset by the intertwined problems of Russian politics, conditions on the Turkish front, organisation of a transitory local government, and internal national-religious strife.

The Transcaucasian Commissariat

In opposing the new Russian government, Transcaucasia was nearly unanimous. On the day the Bolsheviks raised their banner over the Winter Palace, D. Donskoi, President of the Regional Army Soviet in Tiflis, appealed to all units to be calm and to maintain order. 1 During the following days, scores of similar declarations were approved by the Regional Centre of Soviets, the executives of the several individual soviets, and numerous civic and political societies. All pledged allegiance to the Provisional Government only, pleaded for peaceful settlement of the uprising, and demanded convocation of the All-Russian Constituent Assembly as the sole body legally authorised to arbitrate the nation's political future. The Baku Soviet alone, again choosing Stepan Shahoumian as commander, recognised the Russian Sovnarkom on November 15. But even this approbation came only after most members had withdrawn in protest against the Bolshevik slogan, "All Power to the Soviets." 2

The rest of Transcaucasia followed the lead of Tiflis. There, on the initiative of the Public Safety Committee, an emergency conference was held on November 24. Attending the noisy meeting were nearly four hundred representatives of the regional soviets, the Tiflis Duma and Executive Committee, the Public Safety Committee and Ozakom, political and civic organisations, postal-telegraph employees and professional unions, as well as Commander of the Front Przhevalsky, Chief of Staff Lebedinsky, Quartermaster General Levandovsky, military agents of France and England, and, of course, the American Consul. Presiding was Evgeny Gegechkori, who, explaining that the momentous events of the preceding weeks had severed Transcaucasia from central Russia, recommended creation of a temporary administration to deal with numerous pressing problems. Then Noi Zhordania, in his rhetorical style, summoned Transcaucasia to battle anarchy through a provisional government composed of delegates to Constituent Assembly but suggested that, until election could be completed, another body should rule. 3 On the behalf of the Social Revolutionaries, Donskoi agreed that a regional authority was needed because of the Ozakom's resignation and the threat to the front but added quickly that this was no indication of separatism. He sponsored a resolution that was confirmed unanimously after the Bolshevik delegates had "exposed" the counterrevolutionary character of the meeting and stalked out. 4 It was decided


  1. that, until completion of Constituent Assembly elections, the Committee for Public Safety – together with member of all revolutionary, democratic, civic and national organisations – was charged with local administration;
  2. that, following the elections, the chosen delegates would create a temporary government obliged

    1. to correlate regional policy with that of the All-Russian democracy to solve general questions,
    2. to make autonomous decisions in current regional matter only,
    3. to guide Transcaucasia until re-creation of the central democratic government and convocation of the Constituent Assembly,
    4. to seek support from the existing administrative bodies and local soviets. 5