Stalin's Decision: Karabakh And Azerbaijan's History

The dispute over Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan has a long history, with the two countries going to war over the territory almost immediately after gaining independence following the Russian Revolution. In 1921, the Communist Party Bureau in the Caucasus decided that Karabakh would become part of the Armenian SSR, despite warnings from Azerbaijan's representative that this would cause anti-Soviet sentiment in the country. Some sources suggest that this decision was influenced by Joseph Stalin, who may have been seeking to appease Turkey, with whom the Bolsheviks in Moscow had plans, by donating Karabakh to Azerbaijan. Throughout the Soviet period, Armenians continued to raise the issue of reassigning Karabakh to Armenia, but these efforts were rebuffed by Moscow, and the dispute over the territory has persisted, with Turkish forces becoming increasingly involved and the conflict intensifying.

To appease Turkey, who were assisting Russia with their plans for communist rule in Turkey

In the early 1920s, the Bolsheviks, who had taken over Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia, gave control of the region of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan to appease Turkey. This was done to maintain good relations with Turkey, which was assisting the Bolsheviks in their plans for communist rule in Turkey.

At the time, the Bolsheviks were led by Vladimir Lenin, who viewed the Turkish revolutionary movement under Mustafa Kemal as compatible with Bolshevik ideological and geopolitical aspirations. In addition to ceding control of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan, Lenin's government also gave up traditional Russian claims to territories in Western Armenia and the Turkish Straits.

The Bolsheviks supplied the Kemalists with gold and armaments, which were crucial to their successful takeover of the Ottoman Empire. This assistance was a key factor in the development of friendly relations between Bolshevik Russia and the new Turkish government after World War I.

The Bolsheviks also sought to export communist ideologies to Anatolia and supported pro-communist individuals in the region. They aimed to heat up the conflict between the Allies and Turkish nationalists to prevent more Allied troops from intervening in the Russian Civil War.

Lenin's government's decision to give control of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan, therefore, was part of a broader strategy to maintain good relations with Turkey and further Bolshevik goals in the region.

To appease Azerbaijan, who threatened anti-Soviet activities if they lost Karabakh

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a highly contested, landlocked region in the South Caucasus of the former Soviet Union. The roots of the conflict can be traced back to the decisions made by Joseph Stalin when he was the acting Commissar of Nationalities for the Soviet Union during the early 1920s.

In April 1920, Azerbaijan was taken over by the Bolsheviks, and Armenia and Georgia followed in 1921. To appease Azerbaijan, who threatened anti-Soviet activities if they lost Karabakh, the Soviet Union agreed to a division under which Karabakh would be under the control of Azerbaijan.

The conflict over the region died down for several decades until the collapse of the USSR in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the question of Nagorno-Karabakh re-emerged. In 1991, Armenia and Azerbaijan attained independence from the Soviet Union, and Nagorno-Karabakh officially declared independence, leading to a full-scale war. The first Karabakh war, from 1988 to 1994, resulted in roughly thirty thousand casualties and hundreds of thousands of refugees.

The conflict has continued to escalate, with the most recent outbreak of fighting in September 2023, when Azerbaijan launched an "anti-terrorist" offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, targeting Armenian military installations. This led to the displacement of thousands of ethnic Armenians, who fled to Armenia fearing persecution. The status of Nagorno-Karabakh remains unresolved, with Russia attempting to mediate a truce between the warring parties.

To maintain the status quo, as Moscow repeatedly rebuffed efforts to reassign the region to Armenia

The dispute over Karabakh has a long history, with the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan going to war over the region almost immediately after gaining independence following the Russian Revolution. By the fall of 1918, Turkish forces occupied much of the Caucasus, including Karabakh's capital, Shusha. Turkish-Azerbaijani forces attempted to control Karabakh but faced resistance from Armenia.

The Bolsheviks in Moscow had plans for Turkey, hoping that the new Republic would develop into a communist rule under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, with Russia's assistance. To appease Turkey, the Russians donated Karabakh and Nakhichevan, acknowledged parts of Armenia during 1919-1920, to Azerbaijan, considered Turkey's closest cousins in the Transcaucasus (as per the Kars Treaty between Russia and Turkey in 1921).

Throughout the Soviet period, Armenians repeatedly raised the issue of reassigning Karabakh to Armenia, but Moscow consistently rebuffed these efforts, citing opposition from Azerbaijan. This decision to maintain the status quo was likely influenced by the desire to maintain stability in the region and avoid potential anti-Soviet sentiment among Azerbaijanis, as warned by Azerbaijan's representative at the Communist Party Bureau meeting in 1921.

The dispute over Karabakh continued even after both Azerbaijan and Armenia were occupied by the Red Army. The Caucasus Bureau of the Russian Bolsheviks decided to establish a Karabakh autonomy inside Soviet Azerbaijan, further complicating the situation. Despite the lack of direct evidence that Stalin "gave" Karabakh to Azerbaijan, his involvement became apparent during the 1921 debate, where the decision was made to include Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, prioritizing strategic regional interests and relations with Turkey over Armenian reassignment requests.

To maintain Soviet Azerbaijan's territorial borders, which surrounded the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast as an enclave

The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was established as an enclave within Soviet Azerbaijan. This meant that it was entirely surrounded by Azerbaijani territory, with Soviet Azerbaijan establishing its borders. Throughout the Soviet period, Armenians lobbied for Karabakh to be reassigned to Armenia, but these efforts were rejected by Moscow, which cited opposition from Azerbaijan.

The dispute over Karabakh has a long history. After the Russian Revolution, the Republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan became independent and went to war over several disputed territories, including Karabakh. By the fall of 1918, Turkish forces, alongside Turkish-Azerbaijani forces, had occupied much of the Caucasus, including Karabakh's capital, Shusha. However, they faced resistance from Armenian forces.

In 1921, the issue of Karabakh was debated by the Communist Party Bureau in the Caucasus. Despite warnings from Azerbaijan's representative that the loss of Karabakh would lead to anti-Soviet activities in Azerbaijan, the Bureau decided in favour of assigning Karabakh to the Armenian SSR. This decision was based on the Declaration of the Revolutionary Committee of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan and an agreement between the Armenian SSR and Azerbaijan SSR.

It is important to note that some sources dispute the idea that Stalin "gave" Karabakh to Azerbaijan. Instead, they argue that the decision was made by the Caucasus Bureau of the Russian Bolsheviks to establish Karabakh autonomy within Soviet Azerbaijan. This decision was likely influenced by Russia's plans for Turkey and its goal of appeasing Turkey, which had close ties to Azerbaijan.

To uphold the Kars Treaty between Russia and Turkey, which donated Karabakh to Azerbaijan

The decision to incorporate the disputed territory of Karabakh into Soviet Azerbaijan was made by the Caucasus Bureau of the Russian Bolsheviks, not Joseph Stalin personally. This decision was influenced by the Kars Treaty between Russia and Turkey, which donated Karabakh to Azerbaijan, a close relative of the Turks in the Transcaucasus. The Bolsheviks in Moscow had plans for Turkey, hoping that with Russian assistance, the new Republic of Turkey under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk would adopt communist rule. To encourage this development, the Russians donated Karabakh and Nakhichevan, acknowledged Armenian territories during 1919-1920, to Azerbaijan.

Stalin's involvement in the dispute became apparent when, on June 12, 1921, the Communist Party Bureau in the Caucasus debated the issue and decided in favour of assigning Karabakh to the Armenian SSR, in accordance with the agreement between the Armenian and Azerbaijani SSRs. However, this decision was not implemented, as Moscow continued to rebuff Armenian efforts to reclaim Karabakh throughout the Soviet period, citing opposition from Azerbaijan.

The dispute over Karabakh has a long history, dating back to the independence of Armenia and Azerbaijan following the Russian Revolution. The two newly independent republics went to war over several disputed territories, including Karabakh. By the fall of 1918, Turkish forces, in collaboration with Azerbaijani forces, had occupied much of the Caucasus, including Karabakh's capital of Shusha. Despite Armenian resistance, Turkish-Azerbaijani forces sought to maintain control over Karabakh.

The establishment of a Karabakh autonomy inside Soviet Azerbaijan by the Caucasus Bureau of the Russian Bolsheviks was an attempt to resolve the ongoing dispute. However, this decision failed to satisfy both sides, and the conflict over Karabakh persisted, eventually escalating into the Nagorno-Karabakh War in the late 20th century.

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