March Days: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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The '''March Days''' or '''March events''' refers to a period during the [[Russian Civil War]] from March to early April [[1918]] when ethnic [[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijanis]] were massacred by [[Armenian Revolutionary Federation|Dashnak]] and [[Bolshevik]] forces in the city of [[Baku]] (present-day [[Azerbaijan]]).<ref name="Smith">{{ru icon}} [http://www.sakharov-center.ru/publications/azrus/az_004.htm Michael Smith. Azerbaijan and Russia: Society and State: Traumatic Loss and Azerbaijani National Memory]</ref> Equating the Azeris with the Ottoman Turks, the Dashnaks began the massacre in revenge for the [[Armenian Genocide]]. <ref name="Croissant-14">Michael P. Croissant. ''The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Causes and Implications'', p. 14. ISBN 0-275-96241-5</ref> Although not an isolated incident, given the participation of the Azerbaijanis during the Ottoman offensive on [[Armenia]] in early 1918 {{fact}}, the March Days played a significant role in bringing pre-existing inter-ethnic tensions to the forefront of Armenian-Azeri relations. <ref name="Croissant-14" /> According to various sources a total of between 3,000 to 12,000 Muslims were killed during the violence. <ref name="Smith" /> Less than six months later, in September 1918, in a period called [[September Days]] {{fact}}, [[İsmail Enver|Enver Pasha]]'s [[Army of Islam]] supported by local Azeri forces recaptured Baku and subsequently killed an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 ethnic Armenians in retaliation. <ref>[http://hrw.org/reports/1995/communal/ Human Rights Watch. "Playing the 'Communal Card': Communal Violence and Human Rights"]</ref> <ref name="Croissant-15">Croissant. ''Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict'', p. 15.</ref>

== Timeline ==

On March 9th, 1918, the staff of Azerbaijani Savage Division arrived in Baku. Its Commander, General Talyshinski was immediately arrested by the Baku Soviet, which resulted in calls for armed resistance to the Soviet among the Azerbaijanis in the city. [[Shaumyan]], the leader of Baku Soviet, could have prevented much bloodshed, had he been less impulsive and stubborn <ref>Firuz Kazemzadeh, ''Struggle For Transcaucasia (1917 - 1921)'', New York Philosophical Library, 1951, p. 70.</ref>. Only a few days before the arrival of General Talyshinski and his staff, [[Shaumyan]] had received a telegram from Lenin which read:

::''Dear Comrade Shaumyan:''

::''Many thanks for the letter. We are delighted by your firm and decisive policy; do unite with it a most cautious diplomacy, which is doubtlessly made necessary by the present most difficult situation, and we shall win.''

::''The difficulties are unfathomable; up to now we have been saved by the contradictions and conflicts and the struggle among imperialists. Be able to use these conflicts; now it is necessary to learn diplomacy.''

::''Best wishes and greetings to all the friends''

:::::''V. Ulyanov (Lenin)''<ref>Stepan Shaumyan, ''Статьи и речи'', p. 224</ref>

Although not an isolated incident, given the participation of the Azerbaijanis during the Ottoman offensive on [[Armenia]] in early 1918 {{fact}}, the March Days played a significant role in bringing pre-existing inter-ethnic tensions to the forefront of Armenian-Azeri relations. <ref name="Croissant-14" /> According to various sources a total of between 3,000 to 12,000 Muslims were killed during the violence. <ref name="Smith" /> Less than six months later, in September 1918, in a period called [[September Days]] {{fact}}, [[İsmail Enver|Enver Pasha]]'s [[Army of Islam]] supported by local Azeri forces recaptured Baku and subsequently killed an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 ethnic Armenians in retaliation. <ref>[http://hrw.org/reports/1995/communal/ Human Rights Watch. "Playing the 'Communal Card': Communal Violence and Human Rights"]</ref> <ref name="Croissant-15">Croissant. ''Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict'', p. 15.</ref>

==See also==