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12th February 2008, 02:28
http://www.cultinfo.ru/fulltext/1/001/008/090/420.htm
On November 13, 1917, the Baku soviet passed a resolution about the transfer of power to the Soviet. On 30 March 1918, an anti-Soviet revolt was incited by the bourgeois nationalist Musavat supporters and suppressed by the armed forces of the Baku soviet. In the spring and summer of 1918 the power was transferred to the Soviets in Kuba, Shemakha, Lenkoran, Saliany, Dzhevat, and other districts. On April 25, at a meeting of the Baku soviet, the Baku Council of People’s Commissars was formed to be the organ of the proletarian dictatorship in Azerbaijan. It consisted of Chairman Stepan Shaumian, Commissar for Interal Affairs P.Dzhapardize, Commissar of Labor I.Zevin, Provincial Commissar M.Azizbekov, Military Comissar N.Korganov, Commissar City Economy N.Narimanov, Commissar of Justice A.Karinian, and Commissar of Public Education N.Kolesnikova. Among the members of the Baku CPC were representatives of left Socialist Revolutionaries: Commissar of Agriculture M.Vezirov, Commissar of Transportation I.Sukhartsev, and others.
The Baku Soviet began the socialist reorganization in Azerbaijan: decrees on the nationalization of the oil industry, banks, and the Caspian merchant fleet were published, as were decrees on reform of the court system and on confiscation of the land of the beys and khans and its distribution among the peasants. In business enterprises and in institutions, control by workers and the eight-hour working day were instituted, and workers’ wages were raised. Despite the general decline in the oil industry stemming from destruction and sabotage by the administration in the oilfields, the Baku workers increased the production of oil.
Under the extremely difficult conditions in the country in the summer of 1918, the Baku Commune was the only stronghold of Soviet power in Transcaucasia, where all the forces of internal counterrevolution and English, German, and Turkish intervention carried on a struggle against it. The Soviet Russian government demanded that Germany cease attacks by Turks on Baku. But the Soviet Russian government could not at the moment give enough military support to the Baku Commune. Azerbaijan, like the entire country, was suffering heavily from food shortages. The position of the Baku Commune was complicated by the lack of a durable union between the multinational Baku proletariat and the broad masses of working peasants of the Azerbaijan rural areas. Power in many districts of Azerbaijan was in the hands of the bourgeois nationalists—the Musavatists. In the complex situation of intervention and the struggle with the Musavatists, the Baku Soviet could not solve the problem of creating Soviet autonomy in Azerbaijan, and the nationalists took advantage of the opportunity. In July 1918, Turkish troops attacked Baku. In the last days of July, Turkish troops approached the city. From Iran, English troops attacked Baku, seizing it on 4 August 1918.
The 26 commissars were shot on 20 September 1918 at the Transcaspian Railroad by Socialist Revolutionaries and English invaders. In accord with the decision made on 10 August 1918, Soviet detachments on 16 steamships sailed out of Baku for Astrakhan on August 14, following the seizure of Baku by the counterrevolutionaries and invaders. On 16 August they were overtaken 60 km east of Baku by warships of the counterrevolutionary regime. After an artillery shelling, the steamships were returned under convoy to Baku, where the Soviet detachments were disarmed, and 35 Soviet functionaries were imprisoned. The counterrevolutionary regime, instigated by the English occupation troop command, announced that the Baku commissars would be court-martialed. An attack by Turkish troops interfered with these plans. On 14 September, English troops quickly evacuated the city, and at the same time the leaders of the counterrevolutionary regime fled. A group of Bolsheviks (Mikoyan, Artak, Suren Shaumian, S.Agamirov, and others) who had not been arrested, released the imprisoned group at night under fire from Turks. The contemplated plan to evacuate the Baku Commissars on the steamship Sevan miscarried. Mikoyan managed to get his comrades onto the steamship Turkmen, which was at the disposal of the commander of a Soviet partisan detachment T.Amirov, and was designated for the evacuation to Astrakhan. But counterrevolutionary elements, on the demand of English and Dashnak officers who turned up on board, led the ship to Krasnovodsk, which was in the hands of the English invaders and the local SR regime. The Baku Commissars were arrested in the presence of Colonel Batin and other English officers.
The decision to murder the Baku Commisssars was made by the English military mission and the Socialist Revolutionary regime. On 20 September 1918, Stepan Shaumian, M.Azizbekov, P.Dzhapardize, I.Fioletov, M.Vezirov, G.Korganov, I.Zevin, I.Malygin, G.Petrov, A.Amirian, V.Polukhin, I.Gabyshev, S.Osepian, E.Berg, B.Avakian, A.Borian, M.Basin, M.Koganov, A.Kostandian, A.Bogdanov, S.Bogdanov, F.Solntsev, I.Mishne, I.Metaksa, I.Nikolashvili, and T.AMirov were taken out of Krasnovodsk and murdered between the stations of Pereval and Akcha-Kuima on the Transcaspian Railroad. In September 1920 the remains of the Baku Commissars were moved to Baku and buried with honors of the square which bears the name Square of the 26 Baku Commissars. In 1958 a monument was erected on the square. In 1968 a pantheon was built there.
On November 13, 1917, the Baku soviet passed a resolution about the transfer of power to the Soviet. On 30 March 1918, an anti-Soviet revolt was incited by the bourgeois nationalist Musavat supporters and suppressed by the armed forces of the Baku soviet. In the spring and summer of 1918 the power was transferred to the Soviets in Kuba, Shemakha, Lenkoran, Saliany, Dzhevat, and other districts. On April 25, at a meeting of the Baku soviet, the Baku Council of People’s Commissars was formed to be the organ of the proletarian dictatorship in Azerbaijan. It consisted of Chairman Stepan Shaumian, Commissar for Interal Affairs P.Dzhapardize, Commissar of Labor I.Zevin, Provincial Commissar M.Azizbekov, Military Comissar N.Korganov, Commissar City Economy N.Narimanov, Commissar of Justice A.Karinian, and Commissar of Public Education N.Kolesnikova. Among the members of the Baku CPC were representatives of left Socialist Revolutionaries: Commissar of Agriculture M.Vezirov, Commissar of Transportation I.Sukhartsev, and others.
The Baku Soviet began the socialist reorganization in Azerbaijan: decrees on the nationalization of the oil industry, banks, and the Caspian merchant fleet were published, as were decrees on reform of the court system and on confiscation of the land of the beys and khans and its distribution among the peasants. In business enterprises and in institutions, control by workers and the eight-hour working day were instituted, and workers’ wages were raised. Despite the general decline in the oil industry stemming from destruction and sabotage by the administration in the oilfields, the Baku workers increased the production of oil.
Under the extremely difficult conditions in the country in the summer of 1918, the Baku Commune was the only stronghold of Soviet power in Transcaucasia, where all the forces of internal counterrevolution and English, German, and Turkish intervention carried on a struggle against it. The Soviet Russian government demanded that Germany cease attacks by Turks on Baku. But the Soviet Russian government could not at the moment give enough military support to the Baku Commune. Azerbaijan, like the entire country, was suffering heavily from food shortages. The position of the Baku Commune was complicated by the lack of a durable union between the multinational Baku proletariat and the broad masses of working peasants of the Azerbaijan rural areas. Power in many districts of Azerbaijan was in the hands of the bourgeois nationalists—the Musavatists. In the complex situation of intervention and the struggle with the Musavatists, the Baku Soviet could not solve the problem of creating Soviet autonomy in Azerbaijan, and the nationalists took advantage of the opportunity. In July 1918, Turkish troops attacked Baku. In the last days of July, Turkish troops approached the city. From Iran, English troops attacked Baku, seizing it on 4 August 1918.
The 26 commissars were shot on 20 September 1918 at the Transcaspian Railroad by Socialist Revolutionaries and English invaders. In accord with the decision made on 10 August 1918, Soviet detachments on 16 steamships sailed out of Baku for Astrakhan on August 14, following the seizure of Baku by the counterrevolutionaries and invaders. On 16 August they were overtaken 60 km east of Baku by warships of the counterrevolutionary regime. After an artillery shelling, the steamships were returned under convoy to Baku, where the Soviet detachments were disarmed, and 35 Soviet functionaries were imprisoned. The counterrevolutionary regime, instigated by the English occupation troop command, announced that the Baku commissars would be court-martialed. An attack by Turkish troops interfered with these plans. On 14 September, English troops quickly evacuated the city, and at the same time the leaders of the counterrevolutionary regime fled. A group of Bolsheviks (Mikoyan, Artak, Suren Shaumian, S.Agamirov, and others) who had not been arrested, released the imprisoned group at night under fire from Turks. The contemplated plan to evacuate the Baku Commissars on the steamship Sevan miscarried. Mikoyan managed to get his comrades onto the steamship Turkmen, which was at the disposal of the commander of a Soviet partisan detachment T.Amirov, and was designated for the evacuation to Astrakhan. But counterrevolutionary elements, on the demand of English and Dashnak officers who turned up on board, led the ship to Krasnovodsk, which was in the hands of the English invaders and the local SR regime. The Baku Commissars were arrested in the presence of Colonel Batin and other English officers.
The decision to murder the Baku Commisssars was made by the English military mission and the Socialist Revolutionary regime. On 20 September 1918, Stepan Shaumian, M.Azizbekov, P.Dzhapardize, I.Fioletov, M.Vezirov, G.Korganov, I.Zevin, I.Malygin, G.Petrov, A.Amirian, V.Polukhin, I.Gabyshev, S.Osepian, E.Berg, B.Avakian, A.Borian, M.Basin, M.Koganov, A.Kostandian, A.Bogdanov, S.Bogdanov, F.Solntsev, I.Mishne, I.Metaksa, I.Nikolashvili, and T.AMirov were taken out of Krasnovodsk and murdered between the stations of Pereval and Akcha-Kuima on the Transcaspian Railroad. In September 1920 the remains of the Baku Commissars were moved to Baku and buried with honors of the square which bears the name Square of the 26 Baku Commissars. In 1958 a monument was erected on the square. In 1968 a pantheon was built there.