other · Caucasus
Baku Commune
Origins
In March 1918 the Baku Soviet, dominated by Bolsheviks and supported by Armenian Dashnak forces, defeated Azerbaijani Musavat units in fighting known as the March Days, in which thousands of Muslims were killed. In April it formed the Baku Council of People's Commissars under Stepan Shaumian, part of the Russian SFSR.
Rule and society
The Commune nationalised the oil industry and the Caspian fleet and tried to supply Soviet Russia with oil. Its forces were mostly Armenian, and it was opposed by the Azerbaijani population. It faced an advance on Baku by the Ottoman-led Army of Islam, which defeated its troops in June and July 1918.
Decline and legacy
On 31 July 1918 the Commune resigned after the Baku Soviet voted to invite British help, and the Centrocaspian Dictatorship took over. Its leaders fled, were captured and shot near Krasnovodsk in September 1918, becoming the 26 Baku Commissars of Soviet legend.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Baku Commune was part of Russian SFSR1918 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Baku Commune. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/baku-commune
- MLA
- “Baku Commune.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/baku-commune. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Baku Commune.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/baku-commune.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Baku Commune’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/baku-commune (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻