Prokofy "Alyosha" Aprasionovich Dzhaparidze or Japaridze, ( ka, პროკოფი აპრასიონის ძე ჯაფარიძე, russian: Прокофий Апрасионович Джапаридзе; 15 January 1880 – 20 September 1918), was a Georgian revolutionary activist, one of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

and

Bolshevik Party " Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

leaders in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

during the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. Dzhaparidze, an ethnic

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

joined to

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

s in 1898 where he earned the nickname ''Alyosha'' (''Alesha''), then moved to

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

. Helping the founding of the Azerbaijani socialist party

Hummet The Muslim Social Democratic Party, usually referred to as Hummet ( az, Hümmət) ("Endeavor"), was a political party in South Caucasus. In 1920, it merged with "Adalat" ( az, Ədalət) ("Justice") communist cell in Baku, forming the first Communi ...

, he became Delegate of the Caucasian Union of the RSDLP at the 3rd Congress of the RSDLP in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. During his political life, he was many times arrested or exiled for his anti-tsarist activities in

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. After the

February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...

he became a member of the Caucasian Regional Committee, joined the

Baku Commune Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world an ...

and became one of the legendary

26 Baku Commissars The 26 Baku Commissars were Bolshevik and Left Socialist Revolutionary (SR) members of the Baku Commune. The commune was established in the city of Baku, which was then the capital of the briefly independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and ...

. He took several different positions in the commune. Dzhaparidze, along with

Stepan Shahumyan Stepan Georgevich Shaumian (; , ''Step’an Ge'vorgi Shahumyan''; 1 October 1878 – 20 September 1918) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and politician active throughout the Caucasus. Arzumanyan, M. Շահումյան, Ստեփան Գևորգի. ...

Meshadi Azizbekov Mashadi Azizbey oghlu Azizbeyov, also spelled Azizbeyov ( az, Məşədi Əziz bəy oğlu Əzizbəyov; russian: Мешади Азиз-бек оглы Азизбеков; January 6, 1876 - September 20, 1918) was a Soviet revolutionary of Azerbai ...

Ivan Fioletov Ivan Timofeevich Fioletov (Russian: Иван Тимофеевич Фиолетов; 1884 – 20 September 1918) was a Russian revolutionary activist and one of the Bolshevik Party leaders in Azerbaijan during the Russian Revolution. Biography F ...

and other commissars tried to spread the

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

ideology through the whole

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. Soon after the fall of the commune, on the night of September 20, he was executed by firing squad in a remote location between the stations of

Pereval ''The Pass'' (russian: Перевал, translit=Pereval, italic=yes) is a 1988 Soviet animated film, animated short film, directed by Vladimir Tarasov and written by Kir Bulychov. It is adapted from the first chapter titled ''The Pass'' from Bulyc ...

and Akhcha-Kuyma on the

Trans-Caspian railway The Trans-Caspian Railway (also called the Central Asian Railway, russian: Среднеазиатская железная дорога) is a railway that follows the path of the Silk Road through much of western Central Asia. It was built by ...

along with other Commissars. Dzhaparidze was one of the main four commissars who gained a notable status in

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

as a ''fallen hero of

''. A street in

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

(Russia) is still named after him and he has a small bust in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. His monument in

, capital of the

Republic of Azerbaijan A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

was demolished in 2009.

Biography

Early life

Prokofy Dzhaparidze was born in Schardometi village of

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

Kutais Governorate The Kutaisi or Kutais Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of western Georgia throughout most of its existence, and most of the Artvin Province (except th ...

in the

(present-day

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti ( ka, რაჭა-ლეჩხუმი და ქვემო სვანეთი, ''Rach’a-Lechkhumi da Kvemo Svaneti'') is a region (Mkhare) in northwestern Georgia with a population of 28,500 (2021), mak ...

Republic of Georgia A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

) to a Georgian family of landowners. His father died early. He went to a village school and learnt the profession of

bootmaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as ''cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen an ...

. He was educated at the Alexandrovsk Teachers Institute in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

, Dzhaparidze joined the

Russian Social Democratic Labour Party The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP; in , ''Rossiyskaya sotsial-demokraticheskaya rabochaya partiya (RSDRP)''), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party or the Russian Social Democratic Party, was a socialist pol ...

in 1898. He participated in the preparation of the May Day demonstration in 1900. He was arrested and held in jail 11 months, and then was sent home. In 1901, he led a strike of tobacco workers in Kutaisi. In 1904 he moved to Baku, became one of the founders of '' Gummet'' organization, set up to do political work amongst

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

, which grew into a mass organisation, drawing large masses of Muslim people behind the Bolsheviks. Some of its most known members included

Nariman Narimanov Nariman Karbalayi Najaf oghlu Narimanov ( az, Nəriman Kərbəlayi Nəcəf oğlu Nərimanov, russian: Нарима́н Кербелаи Наджа́ф оглы Нарима́нов; – 19 March 1925) was an Azerbaijani Bolshevik revolutionary, ...

and

Sultan Majid Afandiyev Sultan Majid Afandiyev ( az, Sultan Məcid Əfəndiyev; russian: Султан Меджид Эфендиев), also spelled Efendiyev (May 26, 1887 – April 21, 1938) was an Azerbaijani revolutionary and statesman, one of the founders of the Comm ...

. He led delegate of the Caucasian Union of the RSDLP at the 3rd Congress of the RSDLP in London. He was one of the leaders of the December strike of the workers in Baku, also actively participated in the publishment of the Bolshevik journals and magazines ''Bakisnkie Rabochi'', ''Gudok'' and ''Bakinski prolitari''.Гражданская война и военная интервенция в СССР: Энциклопедия/ Гл. ред. С.С. Хромов. — М.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1983. — 704 p. In 1909 he was arrested and exiled to the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...

for five years. He lived in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...

. In 1913 he returned to

, present-day capital of Georgia. In preparation for the 1915 May Day demonstration was exiled to Vologda Province, where in 1916 he fled to

Petrograd Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, and then to Tbilisi.

Baku Commune

After the

of 1917, Dzhaparidze was a member of the

Committee of the Bolshevik Party (''see

''); as a delegate to the 6th congress of the Bolshevik Party, he was selected as a candidate member of its

Central Committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...

, and became a member of Caucasian Border Committee. From December 1917 Deputy Chairman, during January–July 1918 the chairman of the Executive Committee of the Baku

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. During March, Dzhaparidze was the member of the Committee of Revolutionary Defense in Baku; from April, he was the

Commissar Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English transliteration of the Russian (''komissar''), which means 'commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and Eas ...

for Internal Affairs in Baku, and, from June, he also served as Commissar for Food. During this time, he was actively involved in

March Events The March Days or March Events () was a period of inter-ethnic strife and clashes which led to the death of about 12,000 Azerbaijani: "The results of the March events were immediate and total for the Musavat. Several hundreds of its members we ...

, as he tried to spread the communist ideology to

and the whole

South Caucasus The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

in general. After the fall of Baku to the Azerbaijani-Turkish Army of Islam in the

Battle of Baku The Battle of Baku ( az, Bakı döyüşü, tr, Bakü Muharebesi, russian: Битва за Баку) was a battle in World War I that took place between August–September 1918 between the Ottoman– Azerbaijani coalition forces led by Nuri Pas ...

, he fled to Krasnovodsk. On September 20, 1918, he was one of the

shot by the local government of the

Socialist Revolutionary Party The Socialist Revolutionary Party, or the Party of Socialist-Revolutionaries (the SRs, , or Esers, russian: эсеры, translit=esery, label=none; russian: Партия социалистов-революционеров, ), was a major politi ...

. His legacy was appreciated highly across the

. However, in post-Soviet Azerbaijan, the places named after Dzhaparidze were renamed and his monument was demolished. His grave was also relocated along with the other commissars in Baku, which was strongly opposed by the

Azerbaijan Communist Party The Azerbaijan Communist Party ( az, Azərbaycan Kommunist Partiyası; russian: Коммунистическая партия Азербайджана) was the ruling political party in the Azerbaijan SSR, making it effectively a branch of the ...

and other local left-wing politicians. In his native Georgia, the name of Dzhaparidze was also removed almost everywhere.

References

External links

Monument to Prokopius Dzhaparidze in Baku
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dzhaparidze, Prokofy 1880 births 1918 deaths 20th-century executions Articles containing video clips Azerbaijani communists Communists from Georgia (country) Executed people from Georgia (country) Executed politicians Revolutionaries from Georgia (country) Old Bolsheviks People from Kutais Governorate People from Racha Russian Social Democratic Labour Party members

Biography

Early life

Baku Commune

See also

References

External links