20th century: from independent to Soviet ...

20th century:
from independent to Soviet Azerbaijan

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Karabakh briefly became part of the Transcaucasian Federation, but this soon dissolved into separate Armenian, Azeri, and Georgian states. Azerbaijan declared sovereignty over the province, and sought to secure its claims with help from the Ottoman Empire.

In 1920, South Caucasus was taken over by the Bolsheviks who, in order to attract Armenian public support, promised that they would allot Karabakh to Armenia, along with Nakhchivan, and Zangezur (the latter separates Nakhichevan from Azerbaijan proper) . However, Moscow also had far-reaching plans concerning Turkey, hoping that it would, with a little help from Russia, develop along Communist lines. Needing to appease Turkey and Armenia at the same time, Moscow agreed to a division that transferred Zangezur to Armenia, while leaving Karabakh and Nakhchivan as parts of Azerbaijan. As a result, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was established within the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923.