Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast

Region in the Azerbaijan SSR (1923–1991)
the geographical region

The Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its capital was the city of Stepanakert. The leader of the oblast was the First Secretary of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan. The majority of the population were ethnic Armenians.

The area was disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan during their short lived independence from 1918 and 1920. After the Sovietization of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Kavbiuro organisation decided to keep the area within the Azerbaijan SSR whilst granting it broad regional autonomy. Initially, the principal city of Karabakh, Shusha, and its surrounding villages were to be excluded from the autonomy as they were predominantly Azerbaijani, particularly after the massacre and expulsion of the majority Armenian population of Shusha—this decision was later reversed in 1923 when Shusha was decided to join the NKAO despite protests from Muslim villages who favoured its inclusion into the Kurdistan uezd instead. On July 7, 1923, Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was created and the capital was moved to Stepanakert. At the time of its formation, its area was Reasons for this include the policy of Soviet Azerbaijani authorities to settle Azerbaijanis in the region and some out migration of Karabakh Armenians, as well as the generally higher birthrate among Azerbaijanis than among Armenians. Although the question of Nagorno Karabakh's status did not become a major public issue until the mid 1980s, Armenian intellectuals, Soviet Armenian and Karabakh Armenian leadership periodically made appeals to Moscow for the region's transfer to Soviet Armenia.

+Historical ethnic composition of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in 1921–1989Ethnic group1921192319391959197019791989Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Armenians122,71588.62149,60094.8142,47090.28111,69489.24132,80088.04110,05384.39121,06880.54123,07675.89145,45076.92Azerbaijanis15,44411.157,7004.915,2619.6712,59210.0614,0539.3217,99513.8027,17918.0837,26422.9840,68821.52Russians3070.225000.3460.035960.483,1742.101,7901.371,3100.871,2650.781,9221.02Ukrainians300.02350.034360.292380.181930.131400.094160.22Belarusians120.01110.01320.02350.02370.02790.04Greeks680.05740.05670.05330.02560.03720.04Tatars60.00290.02360.03250.02410.03640.03Georgians50.00250.02160.01220.01170.01570.03Others1510.122350.161790.144480.302850.183370.18TOTAL138,466100.00157,800100.0157,807100.00125,159100.00150,837100.00130,406100.00150,313100.00162,181100.00189,085100.00

The First Secretary of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan was the Communist Party of Azerbaijan's head and highest executive power within the oblast. The position was created in July 1923, and abolished on August 27, 1990. The position of First Secretary was de facto appointed by the Politburo of the Soviet Union or by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Below is a list of office holders:

Name Term of Office Lifespan Start End First Secretaries of the Oblast Committee of the Communist Party Sero Manutsyan July 1923 December 1923 Akop Bendzhanyan December 1923 April 1924 Nikolai Sarkisov April 1924 October 1924 Hayk Silanyan October 1924 1925 ?–1938 Artvazd Saakyants 1925 1929 1895–1939 M. K. Danilyan 1929 December 1929 Ashot Karamyan 1929 May 1930 1898–? ? May 1930 1937 Mikhail Manukyants 1937 1940 1909–1968 ? 1940 1942 Yegishe Grigoryan October 1942 1946 1902–? Tigran Grigoryan 1946 ? Yegishe Grigoryan 1952 December 1958 1902–? Nikolay Shakhnazarov December 1958 October 1962 1908– Gurgen Melkumyan October 1962 June 1973 1915– Boris Kevorkov June 1973 February 24, 1988 1932–1998 Genrikh Poghosyan February 24, 1988 January 20, 1989 1931–2000 Vagan Gabrielyan January 20, 1989 August 27, 1990 1936–

A conflict between the Armenians in the oblast and the government of the Azerbaijan SSR broke out in 1987. The fighting escalated into the First Nagorno Karabakh War by the end of 1991. On 26 November 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan Republic abolished the autonomous status of the oblast. Its internal administrative divisions were also abolished, and its territory was split up and redistributed amongst the neighbouring administrative rayons of Khojavend, Tartar, Goranboy, Shusha, and Kalbajar. In response, the majority Armenian population of the oblast declared their independence as the Nagorno Karabakh Republic which was supported by Armenia.