Transcaucasian Commissariat
On January 18, 1918, the Constituent Assembly began its work in Petrograd, the majority of which were representatives of the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries. Most of the deputies refused to recognize Soviet power and the decrees of the Second All–Russian Congress of Soviets. In response, the Bolsheviks dispersed the Constituent Assembly. The Transcaucasian Commissariat, which supported the Constituent Assembly, took an openly hostile position towards the Bolsheviks and also did not recognize Soviet power. After a series of consultations with the national councils, the Transcaucasian Commissariat decided to convene the Transcaucasian Seim as the legislative body of the Transcaucasia. The Transcaucasian Seim included deputies elected to the Constituent Assembly from Transcaucasia. The convocation of the Seim was the first step towards the separation of Transcaucasia from Soviet Russia.