March Days

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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 Azerbaijanis were massacred by Dashnak and Bolshevik forces in the city of Baku and other areas of former Baku governorate (present-day Azerbaijan).^[1] Equating the Azeris with the Ottoman Turks, the Dashnaks began the massacre in revenge for the Armenian Genocide. ^[2] Although not an isolated incident, given the participation of the Azerbaijanis during the Ottoman offensive on Armenia in early 1918, the March Days played a significant role in bringing pre-existing inter-ethnic tensions to the forefront of Armenian-Azeri relations. ^[2] According to various sources a total of between 3,000 to 12,000 Muslims were killed during the violence. ^[1] Less than six months later, in September 1918, 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. ^{[3] [4]}

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} (Russian) Michael Smith. Azerbaijan and Russia: Society and State: Traumatic Loss and Azerbaijani National Memory
2. ^ ^{a b} Michael P. Croissant. The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Causes and Implications, p. 14. ISBN 0-275-96241-5
3. ^ Human Rights Watch. "Playing the 'Communal Card': Communal Violence and Human Rights"
4. ^ Croissant. Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict, p. 15.

[edit] See also

• Azerbaijan Democratic Republic