Revolutionary Beginnings
He was arrested by the Tsarist government for taking part in student political activities on campus, and exiled back to Transcaucasia. After escaping from his exile, Shahumyan went to Germany, where he met with other exiles from the Russian Empire, notably Julius Martov, Vladimir Lenin and Georgi Plekhanov.
Upon returning to Transcaucasia, Shahumyan became a teacher, and the leader of local Social Democrats in Tiflis, as well as a prolific writer of Marxist literature. At the 1903 Congress, he sided with the Bolsheviks. By 1907 he had moved to Baku to head up the significant Bolshevik movement in the city.
In 1914, he led the general strike in the city. The strike was crushed by Imperial Army and Shahumyan was arrested and sent to prison. He escaped just as the February Revolution of 1917 began. Though he had limited participation in the revolution itself, Shahumyan was elected President of the Baku Soviet (council), due to his prior experience with the worker's movement in Baku. He also edited the newspaper Bakinsky Rabochy, which was under pressure from the Provisional Government due to its provocative content.
Read more about this topic: Stepan Shahumyan
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