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Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh, Chairman of Azerbaijani National Council

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established as the first democracy in the Muslim world. Not only a true multi-party republican form of government was created, but it also extended the suffrage to all persons, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or gender, becoming the first country in the Muslim world to give voting rights to women, even ahead of such advanced western democracies as the United States and the United Kingdom. It guaranteed freedoms of expression, assembly and religion, among many other liberties to the citizens of Azerbaijan. The ADR parliament included representatives of parties from all sides of the political spectrum, from the largest fraction of national-democrat Musavat party to social-democrats, agrarians and Islamic parties, and members representing different ethnic groups (Azeri, Armenian, Russian, Georgian, Jewish, Polish, German and others) who lived in Azerbaijan at that time.

Beleaguered by many internal and external enemies, ADR had to struggle for survival from its inception to the end. Newly built national army had to fight a territorial war with neighboring Armenia and protect the local population from the invading enemy troops and the Armenian gangs inside Azerbaijan which massacred tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis and other ethnicities trying to ethnically cleanse the territory for an Armenian homeland. ADR government had to use sophisticated diplomacy and military alliances in order to clear the oil-rich capital Baku from the British occupational forces and deal with the traitorous communist Baku Commune, which sabotaged the national government.

Map of ADR (114,000 square km)

Many parts of the country were largely devastated by the armed conflict and the collapse of the old order . The economy was in ruins. In spite of these tremendous challenges, ADR achieved remarkable successes on many fronts within a short period of time. Eventually the capital Baku and most of the country was cleared from foreign troops, the law and order were restored in the country. The national army was built and hardened in those battles. Functioning economy and independent financial system started to evolve. Educational reforms began and the Baku State University was founded by the decree of the parliament. Preparations for constitution, development of comprehensive doctrine of national state building, and criminal code with guarantees of universal rights and freedoms were under way. ADR was de-facto recognized as an independent state by the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, with pending de-jure recognition. Bilateral formal relations were established with a number of foreign states and independent foreign policy reflecting the national interests of Azerbaijan was formulated and pursued.

Unfortunately, the great Communist Revolution of 1917 in Russia, the same event that enabled the formation of ADR and other national governments on the ruins of Russian Empire, also brought an end to their existence. While most of the national army was engaged in heavy battles with Armenian forces in Karabakh, Azerbaijan could not defend itself against the advancing monster of the Red Army and its “fifth-column” – communist allies inside Azerbaijan. In order to avoid the bloodshed, ADR government had to resign on April 27, 1920 and passed the power to the local pro-Russian leftist parties. When the Red Army entered Baku on April 27, 1920 it met little resistance. On April 28, the new communist government of Azerbaijan was established, which promptly joined Soviet Union along with Georgia and Armenia, but it took the Soviet regime while to subdue the rest of Azerbaijan.

On May 28, 1920, the second anniversary of ADR, the people of Ganja, the second largest city in Azerbaijan, joined with the troops of national army, which remained in the city after the fall of ADR government in Baku, and took their last stand against the Red Army advancing against the city. In spite of being terribly outnumbered, the defenders of Ganja heroically stood their ground for several days and exacted a heavy toll on the invading enemy. Even after the fall of Ganja, sporadic resistance against the communist regime continued througout Azerbaijan.

Group of ADR Parliament Members, 1918

Many great individuals played a vital role in the establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. While Mammed Amin Rasulzade, the chairman of the National Council and leader of Musavat party, is considered to be the most prominent figure, a whole group of “founding fathers” deserves credit for their leadership (click here to view the Declaration of Independence with the list of signing members and the list of important figures of the ADR government). Thus, far from-being a one-man creation, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was an expression of a national idea, not of a personal achievement, a product of vision and fortitude of many great personalities. That is why their importance by far surpasses the role of any other Azerbaijani leader in the past 100 years.

Now, as then, Azerbaijan finds itself in the middle of many struggles. Again its territory is under foreign occupation, its land and riches are subject to a great game among world powers. And Azerbaijan of today still struggles to build a national government based on ideas of freedom and progress so vividly laid down ninety years ago in Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

(by Elmar Chakhtakhtinski)