The azerbaijani democratic republic 1918-1920

Collapse of the tzarist Empire

The Formation of Azerbaijani National Identity three major trends: first, the development of a supranational Islamic identity; second, the development of liberal values and the rejection of authoritarianism, which these proponents sought to wed to pan- Islamic thought; and third, the gradual growth of local Azerbaijani natio- nalism stressing the Turkish cultural identity of the Azerbaijanis

The dual role of Russian empire In the Azerbaijani context, the term intelligentsia, as Swietochowski has noted, does not refer simply to an educated elite, but is more specific: it denotes the secular, modern intelligentsia, and hence excludes the reli- giously trained elite.24 Hence, in practice this select group was limited to Azerbaijanis who had served in the Russian civil service or had been trained in Russian institutes of higher education. Ali Huseynzade, a Turkist writer, articulated the joint principles of ―Turkify, Islamize, and Europeanize,‖ unifying three concepts that could otherwise seem at odds The late czarist period, ca 1890–1915, was a formative and creative one in Azerbaijan‘s history, and the country‘s cultural richness and progressive social and political nature were unique in the Muslim world at the time.

The war in Caucasus when war was declared between Turkey and Russia, the Turkish armies led by Enver Pasha attacked Russia on the Caucasus front. The attack was clearly motivated by Pan-Turkic ideology Armenian uprising in Van, Anti Armenian laws of April 1915, begnning of the massacres of Armenians Moscow relaxed its pressure and even sought to appease the Azerbaijani elite, al- lowing more room for Azerbaijani publications, which returned the favor by focusing on social and economic demands.

War, revolution, formation of a new Nation State The brief period between february 1917 (the fall of the zarist regime ) and may 1918 (the proclamation of the caucasian republics) saw an acceleration of the polticia, military and social processes in the area. The Azerbaijani elite, which did not evet think of independence, had to cope with the sudden collapse of russian power after one century of domination. Independence was unexpected Into the vacuum stepped several influential organizations. Georgia was dominated by the Menshevik wing of the Russian Social Democratic Workers‘ Party in Georgia, which asserted its influence over the Tiflis socialist movement in Georgia.52 In Armenia, the nationalist but also so- cialist-leaning ARF held sway, and in Azerbaijan the Turkist national forces, gradually represented mainly within the enlarged Müsavat party, increasingly asserted control.

The task of independence Independence was a difficult task and the country had to cope with the issues typical of a post-colonial country: Nation-building, develpoment of authonomous institutions, international role and security, political domestic stability Moreover, the remarkably progressive spirit and moderation of the Azerbaijani elite did not remain on paper: with reservations for the circumstances of the time, these traits were reflected in the activities and behavior of the political elite during this brief period of independence, which lasted only twenty-three months. The Na- tional Charter of the Republic proclaimed the state a democratic, parlia- mentary republic. Its fourth article stated that the republic ―guarantees to all its citizens within its borders full civil and political rights, regardless of ethnic origin, religion, class, profession, or sex

A parliamentary republic The Azerbaijan People‘s Republic was a parliamentary republic par excellence, having no presidency: the head of Parliament was the head of state. It also displayed the main shortcoming of the parliamentary form of government: the weakness of the executive, which was exacerbated by interference by a series of foreign powers—first Turkey, then Britain, and finally the Soviet Union. Parliament was a great venue for political activity, with 145 sessions and more than 250 legislative proposals during its brief existence. It sought to initiate many reforms, with education being a pet issue. A comprehensive reform was enacted, making instruction in the Azerbaijani language obligatory in all schools as well as replacing the teaching of Russian history with that of Azerbaijan.69 A key accomplish- ment was the establishment of a state university in Baku in 1919, teaching in Azerbaijani.

Seeking Allies help Like its neighbors, Azerbaijan desperately sought Allied support and recognition at the Paris Peace Conference, sending some of its most senior statesmen to the negotiations. But the constant bickering of the Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian delegations, and their inability to present a unit- ed front, terminated any remaining hope that the war-weary European powers would take on responsibility for a faraway region still understood as a part of Russia. Only when the White forces led by General Denikin were irreversibly routed by the Bolsheviks in early 1920 did the Allies extend de facto recognition to Azerbaijan, in a vain last hope of averting a Bolshevik takeover of the Caucasus. Azerbaijani appealed to the Wilsonian principles of national self determination