Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic

Անդրկովկասի Սովետական Սոցիալիստական Ֆեդերատիվ Հանրապետություն (Armenian) Закавказская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика (Russian) Загафгaзија Совет Федератив Сосиалист Республикасы/ Zaqafqaziya Sovet Federativ Sosialist Respublikası (Azerbaijani) ამიერკავკასიის საბჭოთა ფედერაციული სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა (Georgian) Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic
← ← ← 1922–1936 → → →
Flag Coat of arms
Capital	Tbilisi
Official language	Georgian, Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian
Established In the Soviet Union:  - Since  - Until	March 12, 1922 December 30, 1922 December 5, 1936
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	Ranked 4th in 1922 (6th in 1929) in the USSR 186,100 km² 4.7%
Time zone	UTC +3 to +5

The Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (Russian: Закавказская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика – ЗСФСР, Zakavkazskaya Sovetskaya Federativnaya Sotsalisticheskaya Respublika – ZSFSR), also known as the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Transcaucasian SFSR and the TSFSR for short, was a short-lived republic of the Soviet Union. It consisted of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, traditionally known as the Transcaucasian Republics, being separated from Russia by the Caucasus Mountains.

History

A map of the Transcaucasian region during the Soviet era

The republic's roots date back to the dissolution of the Russian Empire in 1917, during the Russian Revolution, when the provinces of the Caucasus seceded and formed their own federal state called the Transcaucasian Federation. Competing national interests and war with Turkey led to the dissolution of the republic half a year later, in April 1918.

The three successor state lasted until the end of the Russian civil war that was being fought across the mountains, when they were reincorporated into the Soviet state by the Red Army, and made Soviet Republics in March 1922. It was reorganized as a single republic in December of that year. In 1936, the republic was dissolved and divided among the Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijan SSRs.

Names in the languages of the constituent republics

• Armenian: Անդրկովկասի Սովետական Սոցիալիստական Ֆեդերատիվ Հանրապետություն, Andrkovkasyan Sovetakan Soc‘ialistakan Federativ Hanrapetowt‘yown
• Azerbaijani:  Загафгазија Совет Федератив Сосиалист Республикасы, Zaqafqaziya Sovet Federativ Sosialist Respublikası
• Georgian: ამიერკავკასიის საბჭოთა ფედერაციული სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, Amierk'avk'asiis Sabch'oti Pederatsiuli Sotsialist'uri Resp'ublik'a

Stamps and postal history

2 gold kopecks, 1923

Before 1923, each of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan issued its own postage stamps. The Federation began issuing its own stamps on September 15, 1923, and superseded the separate republics' issues on October 1. The first issues consisted of some of the stamps of Russia and Armenia overprinted with a star containing the five-letter acronym of the federation inside the points. Massive inflation having set in, this was followed by an issue of the Federation's own designs, four values of a view of oil fields, and four with a montage of Soviet symbols over mountains and oil derricks, values ranging from 40,000 to 500,000 rubles. The 40,000 руб and 75,000 руб were then surcharged to 700,000 rubles. On October 24, the stamps were re-issued with values from 1 to 18 gold kopecks. Starting in 1924, the Federation used stamps of the Soviet Union.

Most of the stamps of the Federation are not especially rare today, with 1998 prices in the US$1–2 range, although the overprints on Armenian stamps range up to US$200. As might be expected from a short period of usage, used stamps are less common than unused, and covers are not often seen.

Heads of state

See also

• Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
• Northern Caucasus
• Litbel
• Far Eastern Republic
• Bavarian S.R.
• Republics of the Soviet Union
• Kuban
• Kars
• Komancza
• Don Cossack Republic
• List of countries in 1919
• List of countries in 1922
• List of countries in 1923

Republics of the Soviet Union Soviet Union Principal Armenian SSR · Azerbaijan SSR · Byelorussian SSR · Estonian SSR · Georgian SSR · Kazakh SSR · Kirghiz SSR · Latvian SSR · Lithuanian SSR · Moldavian SSR · Russian SFSR · Tajik SSR · Turkmen SSR · Ukrainian SSR · Uzbek SSR Short-lived Abkhazian SSR · Karelo-Finnish SSR · Transcaucasian SFSR