The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic of 1918: Federal Aspirations, Geopolitics and National Projects

The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR) was a short-lived political union of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia from April to May 1918. This book provides a comprehensive account of the TDFR, exploring its origins, governance, and impact on the region. It argues that the TDFR's federalism and discussions about it continued to resonate among different groups well after its dissolution, solidifying federalism as a significant political concept in the Caucasus' modern history.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 130 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR) emerged as a remarkable, grassroots-driven, and ephemeral manifestation of political unity and federalism among the primary Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian political factions, spanning from 22 April 1918, when it declared its independence, to 26 May 1918, when it dissolved and gave way to the establishment of the three nation-states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. This book delves into a pivotal yet often overlooked period in the recent history of the Caucasus, specifically during the aftermath of the First World War. By providing a comprehensive, contextually rich, and multi-perspective account—including contributions from Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Ottoman, German, British, American, Italian, Bolshevik, Ukrainian, and North Caucasian historians and scholars—this book sheds light on the TDFR. It argues that, despite its brief duration of just one month in this geopolitically unstable region, the TDFR's federative structure and the ongoing discussions about federalism and federation it sparked continued to hold significance for Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, as well as the Great Powers even after its dissolution. Furthermore, the experience of the TDFR solidifies federalism as a fundamental political concept in the modern history of the Caucasus.

The chapters included in this book were initially published as a special issue of the Caucasus Survey.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367742263