March Days

March Days
source
Title	March Days
Date	March 1918
Place	Baku, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Participants	Baku Commune, Dashnaktsutyun, Bolsheviks, Muslim population
Outcome	Massacre of Muslim civilians; consolidation of Baku Commune power.

March Days. The March Days refer to a period of intense inter-ethnic and political conflict that occurred in the city of Baku and surrounding areas during March 1918. The violence primarily involved the forces of the Baku Commune, led by the Bolsheviks and allied with the Dashnaktsutyun (Armenian Revolutionary Federation), against segments of the local Muslim population. These events are considered a pivotal and tragic chapter in the complex history of the South Caucasus during the dissolution of the Russian Empire and the ensuing Russian Civil War.

Background

Following the October Revolution and the collapse of the Russian Caucasus Front in World War I, political power in Baku was fragmented. The Baku Soviet, dominated by Bolsheviks under figures like Stepan Shahumyan, vied for control with the Muslim National Council and other groups. Tensions were exacerbated by longstanding ethnic rivalries, the legacy of the Russian Revolution of 1905, and competition over Baku's vital oil fields. The presence of armed groups, including the Dashnaktsutyun and the Savage Division, created a volatile security situation. The broader context of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ceded territory including parts of the South Caucasus, further destabilized the region.

Events

The immediate trigger was a dispute over the transfer of a steamship, the *Evelina*, from a Muslim crew to the Baku Soviet. On March 30, armed conflict erupted between forces of the Baku Commune and Muslim militia units. The Baku Commune mobilized its Red Army detachments and the well-armed Dashnaktsutyun units. Fighting spread from the city center to suburbs like Mammadli and Quba. The commune's forces, utilizing artillery and armored trains, gained a decisive military advantage. The conflict rapidly devolved into a massacre of Muslim civilians, with widespread killings, pillaging, and arson reported in districts including Bailov Prison and throughout the Absheron Peninsula. Key figures like Stepan Shahumyan oversaw the operations, while Muslim leaders such as Mammad Hasan Hajinski sought to negotiate.

Aftermath

Casualty estimates range from several thousand to 12,000, predominantly Muslim civilians. The violence effectively crushed organized Muslim political and military resistance in Baku, allowing the Baku Commune to consolidate its control until the Battle of Baku in September 1918. The events deepened the ethnic divide between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, fueling reciprocal violence such as the September Days later that year. They also prompted a mass exodus of Muslims from the city and influenced the foreign policy of the nascent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which sought support from the Ottoman Empire. The aftermath was investigated by the Extraordinary Investigation Commission established by the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

Legacy

The March Days remain a highly contentious and differently interpreted historical event. In Azerbaijan, they are officially commemorated as a genocide against Azerbaijanis, a view reflected in the work of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Armenian and some historical perspectives often frame them as a necessary suppression of a Muslim uprising against Soviet power. The events are a central point of reference in the historiography of the Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict and have influenced national narratives in both post-Soviet republics. Memorials, such as those in Baku and Guba, and annual commemorations keep the memory alive, while scholars like Tadeusz Swietochowski and Firuz Kazemzadeh have analyzed their complex political and social dimensions.

Category:1918 in Azerbaijan Category:Conflicts in 1918 Category:History of Baku