A.Zizikski, G.Efendi, A.Alibeyov, Mursal-bey, Ibrahim-bey, Nuhbala and

others, were patrolling access roads to Guba and major villages trying to

prevent the Armenian militants from getting in. (111) Some harsh battles

between the Armenian units and local defenders took place in Digah

and Alpan villages, mentioned earlier in Amazasp’s address. (112) Ha-

ving overcome the resistance due to manifold superior forces, Armenian

militants burned and plundered both villages. The fate of a Lezghin unit

from Gusar encircled in a gorge between Digah and Khuchbala villages

was particularly tragic as all the warriors were sunken in blood, hence the

place was named the Bloody Gorge afterwards. (113)

The condition of residents of the villages devastated and looted

by Amazasp’s units was so hopeless and desperate that upon their re-

turn from woods and mountains some 15-45 days later, sick and star-

ving, they were eager to welcome any power capable of alleviating their

hardships this way or another. This explains the fact that the Soviets

of Peasant Deputies were created immediately in good 77 villages of

Guba Uyezd in July 1918. (114)

The very history of forming peasant Soviets in the provinces

“demonstrating tremendous efforts of the Baku Soviet to manage the

situation in an unbelievably harsh aftermath of the civil war” (115)

clearly demonstrates the aspiration of the Bolshevik and Dashnaktsu-

tyun dominated Baku Soviet to establish links with rural areas and win

the trust of the Muslim peasantry. In the meantime this reveals the

true situation in the countryside. Meshadi Azizbeyov, the Provincial

Commissar “got engaged in forming these organizations in villages

with the zeal and passion very typical of him”, so pretty soon “the pas-

sion and seriousness of comrade Azizbeyov started yielding excellent

results”. (116)

The “results” were overwhelming indeed. The outskirts of Baku

villages barely surviving the horrors of massacre in March started re-

cognizing the Soviet rule one after another. However, all resolutions ad-

mitted at general meetings of “low income” population of the villages

in question, along with expression of their loyalty to the new regime,

included specific requests. A typical document of this kind reads:

“1) While recognizing the Executive Committee (of the Baku So-

viet) as the supporter of workers and all toiling people:

2) Aware of the fact that there is no link between our village

(Fatmai) and the city.

Events of 1918 in Guba in the Context of Plans for Mass Extermination

of Azerbaijan’s Muslim Population