The Erzincan Soviet was a Soviet republic created by local forces in the Erzincan region of Turkey during WW1 following the Battle of Erzincan.Kıvılcım Viyale, Kırmanciya Beleke, sayı 4, s. 17Emirali Yağan, Kırmanciya Beleke, sayı 4, s. 31- 43 It was dissolved in 1921 by the Kuva-yi Millye's intervention in the region, though some sources pin its dissolution on the Ottoman army.
The Erzincan Soviet was the first Soviet republic to be created on Ottoman territory18 Aralık 1917 – 1.Rus Ordusunun yetkilileriyle Osmanlı Hükümeti arasında Erzincan Antlaşması imzalandı , 18 Aralık 2015, Erişim tarihi: 22 Aralık 2016. and was modelled on the communist governments established across the territory of the Russian Empire during the Russian Revolution.Dersim'e Giden Yol Nasıl Başladı , 19 Kasım 2009, Erişim tarihi: 24 Aralık 2016.
Background In 1917, the Russian armies located in Anatolia were in disarray due to indiscipline and Bolshevik influence among the army. As the February Revolution started in Russia, power in the area had passed to a force known as the Special Transcaucasian Committee. However, this committee failed to improve the situation on the front, as Russian soldiers were unwilling to fight and desertion was common. In this state of disarray, the Russian army attacked Tunceli several times but was unsuccessful.Karerli Mehmet Efendi, Yazılmayan Tarih ve Anılarım, Kalan Yan.Serge, Victor, Yıl Bir Rus Devrimi'nin. Chicago: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1972, s. 193.
Erzincan Armistice
Following the October revolution, Russian soldiers established "Revolutionary Soldiers' Councils" on the front lines of Anatolia and arrested pro-Tsarist generals and officers. Revolutionary forces in the Russian military units were formed as the 1st Red Guard Army which then released Ottoman prisoners of war after explaining the principles of communism to them and encouraged the local population to rebel.Stefanos Yerasimos, Türk-Sovyet İlişkileri, Ekim Devriminde Millî Mücadele'ye, İstanbul, Gözlem Yayınları, 1979. vol 7, s. 13Mehmet Hocaoğlu, Tarihte Ermeni Mezalimi ve Ermeniler, İstanbul, 1976.
Following orders from the Soviet government, the 1st Army signed the Erzincan Armistice with the Ottoman government on December 17–18, 1917. According to the terms of the agreement, all Russian armies, including the Red Guards, were to withdraw from Anatolian territories within three months. However, the Ottoman army was not permitted to enter the vacated areas.
Creation of the Soviet After the agreement, the Bolshevik commander Arshak Jamalyan gathered the Kurdish, Turkish, and Armenian leaders from the area to create a soviet that would govern the area.Goldner, L. (2016). Revolution, Defeat and Theoretical Underdevelopment: Russia, Turkey, Spain, Bolivia. Brill The name of the Armenian representatives was Muradov, the Kurdish and Turkish representatives were Alişer and Alişan. There were 25 people chosen as representatives for the different surrounding villages and towns in the province, and efforts were made to spread the soviet's control into the surrounding areas."Erzincan Şurası: Halklar Arasında Savaşa, Sınıflar Arasındaki Barışa Son", KöZ gazetesi, 29 Aralık 2005
The governors of the soviet raised red flags throughout Erzincan following the Soviet's creation.Dilber, Orhan. "Kemalizm’in Cumhuriyetçilik Diye Bir İlkesi Var mı?" Peyama Azadi, pg.21 This movement soon spread to Erzurum, Erzincan, Bayburt, and Sivas, and historian Orhan Dilber estimates that the Ottoman army had repressed it by 1918. On April 30, 1919, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was sent to Samsun as the Inspector of the 9th Army by the Damat Ferit Pasha government to examine the situation on the ground following the council movement that had arisen in the eastern areas.Erdem, Hamit. “1920 Year and Leftist Opposition”. Sel Publishing, February 2010, Istanbul. p. 79Metin, H. (1992). Armenians and Armenian Events in the Political History of Türkiye (Vol. 32). Ministry of National Education.
Following the entry of Ottoman forces into Erzincan, the Turkish delegates of the Soviet called for the Soviet's government to relocate to Tunceli. The soviet decided to move the centre to Yeşilyazı, which is located within the borders of the present-day Ovacık district of Tunceli.
Dissolution Following the defeat of the Koçgiri rebellion, some of whose forces were affiliated with the Soviet administration in Yeşilyazı in 1921, the soviet was dissolved.
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