diff --git a/django/core/management/base.py b/django/core/management/base.py
index 3b88234a94..866dec4407 100644
--- a/django/core/management/base.py
+++ b/django/core/management/base.py
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@ class BaseCommand(object):
             if output:
                 if self.output_transaction:
                     # This needs to be imported here, because it relies on settings.
-                    from django.db import backend
-                    if backend.get_start_transaction_sql():
-                        print self.style.SQL_KEYWORD(backend.get_start_transaction_sql())
+                    from django.db import connection
+                    if connection.ops.start_transaction_sql():
+                        print self.style.SQL_KEYWORD(connection.ops.start_transaction_sql())
                 print output
                 if self.output_transaction:
                     print self.style.SQL_KEYWORD("COMMIT;")
diff --git a/django/db/backends/__init__.py b/django/db/backends/__init__.py
index 07a645307f..8af82a4dda 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/__init__.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/__init__.py
@@ -160,3 +160,9 @@ class BaseDatabaseOperations(object):
         color_style() or no_style() in django.core.management.color.
         """
         return [] # No sequence reset required by default.
+
+    def start_transaction_sql(self):
+        """
+        Returns the SQL statement required to start a transaction.
+        """
+        return "BEGIN;"
diff --git a/django/db/backends/ado_mssql/base.py b/django/db/backends/ado_mssql/base.py
index 478ad9afda..192c069449 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/ado_mssql/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/ado_mssql/base.py
@@ -103,9 +103,6 @@ dictfetchone = util.dictfetchone
 dictfetchmany = util.dictfetchmany
 dictfetchall  = util.dictfetchall
 
-def get_start_transaction_sql():
-    return "BEGIN;"
-
 def get_tablespace_sql(tablespace, inline=False):
     return "ON %s" % quote_name(tablespace)
 
diff --git a/django/db/backends/dummy/base.py b/django/db/backends/dummy/base.py
index 4bc965ac43..9339d87bf3 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/dummy/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/dummy/base.py
@@ -43,6 +43,5 @@ quote_name = complain
 dictfetchone = complain
 dictfetchmany = complain
 dictfetchall = complain
-get_start_transaction_sql = complain
 
 OPERATOR_MAPPING = {}
diff --git a/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py b/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
index 6096700296..3af055ba8d 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
@@ -188,9 +188,6 @@ dictfetchone = util.dictfetchone
 dictfetchmany = util.dictfetchmany
 dictfetchall  = util.dictfetchall
 
-def get_start_transaction_sql():
-    return "BEGIN;"
-
 OPERATOR_MAPPING = {
     'exact': '= %s',
     'iexact': 'LIKE %s',
diff --git a/django/db/backends/mysql_old/base.py b/django/db/backends/mysql_old/base.py
index babf805304..935f92fcaf 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/mysql_old/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/mysql_old/base.py
@@ -207,9 +207,6 @@ dictfetchone = util.dictfetchone
 dictfetchmany = util.dictfetchmany
 dictfetchall  = util.dictfetchall
 
-def get_start_transaction_sql():
-    return "BEGIN;"
-
 OPERATOR_MAPPING = {
     'exact': '= %s',
     'iexact': 'LIKE %s',
diff --git a/django/db/backends/oracle/base.py b/django/db/backends/oracle/base.py
index 9d9305d3f8..b84dc48bbe 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/oracle/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/oracle/base.py
@@ -112,6 +112,9 @@ class DatabaseOperations(BaseDatabaseOperations):
                                        'table':f.m2m_db_table()})
         return output
 
+    def start_transaction_sql(self):
+        return ''
+
 class DatabaseWrapper(BaseDatabaseWrapper):
     ops = DatabaseOperations()
 
@@ -228,9 +231,6 @@ def get_field_cast_sql(db_type):
     else:
         return "%s%s"
 
-def get_start_transaction_sql():
-    return None
-
 def get_tablespace_sql(tablespace, inline=False):
     return "%sTABLESPACE %s" % ((inline and "USING INDEX " or ""), quote_name(tablespace))
 
diff --git a/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py b/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py
index 1ff5003129..9ce5890728 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py
@@ -211,9 +211,6 @@ def dictfetchall(cursor):
     "Returns all rows from a cursor as a dict"
     return cursor.dictfetchall()
 
-def get_start_transaction_sql():
-    return "BEGIN;"
-
 def typecast_string(s):
     """
     Cast all returned strings to unicode strings.
diff --git a/django/db/backends/postgresql_psycopg2/base.py b/django/db/backends/postgresql_psycopg2/base.py
index ac1c5a2a55..4bd64cda78 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/postgresql_psycopg2/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/postgresql_psycopg2/base.py
@@ -165,9 +165,6 @@ dictfetchone = util.dictfetchone
 dictfetchmany = util.dictfetchmany
 dictfetchall = util.dictfetchall
 
-def get_start_transaction_sql():
-    return "BEGIN;"
-
 OPERATOR_MAPPING = {
     'exact': '= %s',
     'iexact': 'ILIKE %s',
diff --git a/django/db/backends/sqlite3/base.py b/django/db/backends/sqlite3/base.py
index 3c35cb200d..a48ff3a93c 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/sqlite3/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/sqlite3/base.py
@@ -131,9 +131,6 @@ def _sqlite_extract(lookup_type, dt):
         return None
     return str(getattr(dt, lookup_type))
 
-def get_start_transaction_sql():
-    return "BEGIN;"
-
 def _sqlite_date_trunc(lookup_type, dt):
     try:
         dt = util.typecast_timestamp(dt)