March Days — 1918 ethnic clashes and massacres in Baku Governorate, Transcaucasia
Inter-ethnic clashes in Baku in 1918 between Bolshevik-Dashnak and Azerbaijani Musavat forces, described by Azerbaijan as genocide.
Key Facts
- Duration
- 30 March – 2 April 1918
- Location
- Baku and Baku Governorate, Transcaucasia
- Main factions
- Bolsheviks/Dashnaks vs. Azerbaijani Musavat Party
- Immediate aftermath
- Establishment of the short-lived Baku Commune, April 1918
- Followed by
- September Days: ~10,000 Armenians massacred in Baku
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A political power struggle in the Baku Governorate of the Transcaucasian Commissariat pitted Bolshevik forces allied with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun) against the Azerbaijani Musavat Party. Bolshevik and Dashnak leaders spread rumours of an imminent Muslim revolt, creating a pretext for armed action against the Muslim Azerbaijani population.
Between 30 March and 2 April 1918, inter-ethnic clashes and massacres erupted in Baku and surrounding areas of the Baku Governorate. Armed conflict broke out between Bolshevik-Dashnak forces and Azerbaijani Musavat partisans, resulting in widespread violence against civilians and combatants. Most historical sources frame the events within broader civil war unrest, while contemporary Azerbaijani sources characterise them as genocide.
The clashes directly enabled the Bolsheviks to consolidate control over Baku and establish the short-lived Baku Commune in April 1918. The violence deepened inter-ethnic hostility between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in the region. These events were followed by the September Days, during which approximately 10,000 ethnic Armenians were massacred by the Army of Islam and Azerbaijani allies upon capturing Baku.