Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic

Infobox SSR
name = Transcaucasian SFSR
rus-name = Закавказская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика
loc-name = Հայաստանի Խորհրդային Սոցիալիստական Հանրապետություն
loc-name2 = Загафгија Совет Федератив Сосиалист Республикасы
loc-name3 = ამიერკავკასიის საბჭოთა ფედერაციული სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა
full-name = Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic
year_start = 1922
year_end = 1936
p1 = Armenian SSR
flag_p1 = Flag of SSRA.png p2 = Azerbaijani SSR
flag_p2 = Azerbaijansovietrep1920-1921.svg
p3 = Georgian SSR
flag_p3 = Flag of Georgian SSR.svg
s1 = Armenian SSR
flag_s1 = Flag of Armenian SSR (1936-1940).png s2 = Azerbaijan SSR
flag_s2 = Flag AzSSR.svg
s3 = Georgian SSR
flag_s3 = Flag of Georgian SSR.svg

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arms = Coat of arms of the Transcaucasian SFSR.png

capital = Tbilisi
language = Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian and Russian
Lang-ISO = hy
Lang-ISO2 = az
Lang-ISO3 = ka

established = March 12, 1922
ussr-start = December 30, 1922
ussr-end = December 5, 1936
area-rank = 4th in 1922 and 6th in 1929
area = 186,100
water = 4.7%
time-zone = + 3 to + 5

The Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic ( _hy. Հայաստանի Խորհրդային Սոցիալիստական Հանրապետություն; Azerbaijani: Загафгија Совет Федератив Сосиалист Республикасы "Zaqafqaziya Sovet Federativ Sosialist Respublikası"; _ka. ამიერკავკასიის საბჭოთა ფედერაციული სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა; _ru. Закавказская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика [ЗСФСР] "Zakavkazskaya Sovetskaya Federativnaya Sotsalisticheskaya Respublika [ZSFSR] "), also known as the Transcaucasian Soviet Federated 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.

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 attempted to form their own federal state called the Transcaucasian Federation. Competing national interests and war with Turkey led to the disbanding of the republic half a year later, in April 1918.

In the following years, the three constituent territories went through the civil war with heavy involvement of the Red Army, and emerged as Soviet Republics. In March 1922, the area was reunited as a union of Soviet republics. It was reorganized as a single republic in December of that year. In 1936, the republic was dissolved and the three regions became the Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijan SSR respectively.

Stamps and postal history

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 40,000r and 75,000r 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

ee also

* Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
* Republics of the Soviet Union