Was Azerbaijan really there or not? (MP against vox populi). The territory of Azerbaijan within the Russian Empire in the 19th century
In recent days, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has been repeating the same words at every corner: "Nagorno-Karabakh is the historical territory of Azerbaijan." Meanwhile, the Republic of Azerbaijan itself first appeared on the world map only in 1918. At that time, taking advantage of the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Turkish invading Transcaucasia regular army created a Turkic state called Azerbaijan in the east of the region. 56 years later, by the way, in 1974, Turkey will repeat the successful experience of creating a Turkic state, as a result of which Europe will receive another hotbed of tension - Northern Cyprus.
But maybe the state of Azerbaijan existed before 1918, and simply had a different name? History testifies: no. The territory, now perceived under the artificial name of the Azerbaijan Republic, has never constituted a single administrative unit and at different periods of history, in whole or in part, belonged or was divided between different states: Media, Caucasian Albania, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Russia, USSR ...
Or maybe Ilham Aliyev means that a single ethnic monolith of the Transcaucasian Turks historically compactly inhabited the territory of modern Azerbaijan? Does he mean that the Transcaucasian Turks did not have a state, but they had a homeland? Again, the answer is no.
The very concept of Motherland is absent in the language of the Transcaucasian Turks. “Mother's yurt” - this is how the Turkic word Anayurdu is translated, this is how, literally, the word that the Transcaucasian Turks use to designate the word Motherland is translated. And their close and distant ancestors had to sew these yurts in the vast expanses from Transbaikalia to Constantinople.
In the process of centuries-old nomadism, the first waves of Turks arrived in the Caucasus in the 13th-14th centuries, and this process continued until the 18th century inclusive. They managed to exterminate, destroy, evict from the region many indigenous peoples known from ancient times and gain a foothold in their land. The relict remains of these peoples: Kryz, Khinaluk, Udin, Budukh and others, who are part of a single Lezghin ethnos, still live in the most high-mountainous regions of Azerbaijan, for it was there that they once found salvation from warlike nomads.
A new wave of annexation took place after the proclamation of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1918, when this political entity, with the help of the Turkish army, conquered the territories of the indigenous Talysh, Lezgins, Avars, Tsakhur ... , which existed for over a year, but in the end fell under the blows of the Azerbaijani-Turkish army. Azerbaijan then tried to conquer Nagorno-Karabakh, where the first nomadic Turks, later called Azerbaijanis, appeared only in the 17th century, but the Armenians of the region managed to defend themselves from aggression.
In autumn 1920, units of the Soviet Red Army entered Artsakh. And on July 5, 1921, the ancient Armenian land was included in the Soviet Azerbaijan. For the current reader, this may seem incredible, but such were the realities of Bolshevism, the decision to include the Armenian territory within Soviet Azerbaijan was made by the party organ of a third state: the Caucasian Bureau of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). Imagine if the Socialist Party of France decided to transfer, for example, German Bavaria, say, to the Czech Republic! Absurd, of course, but it is this absurd and voluntaristic decision of a third party party body that is to this day the only document with which Azerbaijan and its President Aliyev “substantiate” their territorial claims to the primordially Armenian land.
During the years of Soviet power, the territory of Artsakh was under the jurisdiction of Soviet Union, residents of the Armenian autonomy underwent compulsory military service in the ranks of the USSR army, state supervision on the territory of Artsakh was carried out by the NKAO prosecutor appointed by the USSR Prosecutor General. The inhabitants of Artsakh were citizens of the USSR (there was a single citizenship in the Soviet Union). The interests of the autonomous region in the highest legislative body of the USSR - the Supreme Soviet of the USSR - were represented by the deputies of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR elected in Artsakh. They were elected precisely as representatives of the national public education in a federal state, which, according to the Constitution, was the USSR. Thus, we have the right to state that the Armenian Autonomous Region, located within the Azerbaijan SSR, was part of the Soviet Union.
On August 30, 1991, the Azerbaijan SSR announced the beginning of the process of secession from the USSR. On October 18, 1991, Azerbaijan adopted the Constitutional Act "On Independence". However, Artsakh was no longer within Azerbaijan. On September 2, 1991, based on international law and the laws of the USSR, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic declared its sovereignty.
The legislative body of Azerbaijan announced the independence of the country without taking into account the opinion of the population, that is, without a referendum. International law qualifies such actions as a usurpation of power. The usurpation of power in Azerbaijan took place not only in the regions densely populated by indigenous peoples (the south and north of the Azerbaijan Republic are populated mainly by Talysh, Lezghins, Avars, Tsakhurs), but also throughout the republic.
On the contrary, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic determined itself in full compliance with international law and the laws of the USSR, completing the process of sovereignty with a nationwide referendum on December 10, 1991.
Artsakh was not part of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1918-20: Azerbaijan then failed to conquer the Armenian land.
Artsakh was not part of the Azerbaijan USSR: the Armenian region was part of a federal entity called the Soviet Union.
Artsakh does not and will not be a part of the Azerbaijan Republic illegally proclaimed in 1991. Both of these state entities spun off from the Soviet Union. The difference is that, unlike Azerbaijan, the NKR proclaimed its statehood in full accordance with the law.
Nevertheless, Azerbaijan tried to annex the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic by launching a large-scale aggression against it. The results of this aggression are well known: tens of thousands of dead, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons, broken lives, lost hopes ...
Declaring that "Azerbaijan is much stronger than Armenia" and, if the Republic of Artsakh does not agree to join Azerbaijan, the latter "will have to think about other ways of resolving the conflict", Ilham Aliyev is simply blackmailing global community... The President of Azerbaijan is not at all sure of the military superiority of the entity he heads over the Armenian states, rather, on the contrary, otherwise he would not fail to commit aggression, as it was in 1988-94. However, Aliyev is convinced of Europe's sincere desire to see the Caucasus peaceful and prosperous. Aliyev also understands, and all his interviews confirm this, that the Caspian Sea basin is one of the alternative sources of supply of hydrocarbons to Europe. The resumption of hostilities will undoubtedly become an almost insurmountable obstacle to the transportation of energy resources to Europe, which is what Aliyev is trying to blackmail in search of allies for political pressure on the Republic of Artsakh.
Well, I admit that Ilham Aliyev is right: in case of renewed aggression against the Artsakh Republic, oil and gas from Azerbaijan will really stop flowing anywhere. The Armenian side simply cannot allow the country at war with it to be able to build up its economic opportunities without hindrance. Even the President of Azerbaijan, who still counts the number of casualties in the ranks of the Askerni in recent days, does not doubt the capabilities and high moral combat readiness of the Republican Defense Army. He has no doubts, and therefore blackmails. But not us, but the world community.
Ilham Aliyev is well aware of the presence of a significant Armenian community in the world, the emergence of which became possible as a result of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. Hence his demagogic exclamation-question: “Imagine what will happen if the Armenians try to self-determine in all countries of the world where they live. How many new Armenian states can be formed? " This poorly hidden, and even more stupid provocation can only be answered with a mocking irony to its author: "Nothing more than Turkic."
However, after today's meetings in Sochi, the question of the further existence of one of the Turkic states may be put under very serious doubt.
Levon MELIK-SHAHNAZARYAN
AZERBAIJAN. HISTORY
At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. on the territory of Azerbaijan, the first states were formed - Mana and Media. In the 7th century. BC. Media came under the influence of Persia and under the Persian ruler Atropate was called Media Atropatena or simply Atropatena. According to one version, modern name Azerbaijan originates precisely from this name. According to another version, the name of the country is associated with the Persian word "azer" - fire, and Azerbaijan can be translated as "Land of fires (fire worshipers)". Later, the territory of the country was part of the tribal association Caucasian Albania, which existed until the 4th century. AD Since 387 A.D. until the middle of the 7th century. Caucasian Albania was ruled by Sassanian Iran, and later by the Arab Caliphate. The Arabs actively spread Islam, which led to the synthesis of the Persian secular and Arab religious cultures. In the 8-11 centuries. the influence of nomadic Turkic tribes is increasing, mixing with the local population and influencing the language, culture and politics of the state. The Persian language of the indigenous population was gradually replaced by the Turkic dialect, from which an independent Azerbaijani language was eventually formed. The process of Turkization was long and complex; it included several waves of nomads from Central Asia. After the conquest by the Mongols in the 13th century. Azerbaijan became a part of the state of Hulagu Khan and his successors Ilkhans. In the 15th century, after the invasion of Timur's troops, it came under the rule of the Turkmens, who founded two rival states - Kara-Koyunlu and Ak-Koyunlu. At the same time, the Azerbaijani state of the Shirvanshahs existed. At the end of the 15th century. Azerbaijan became a stronghold of the local Safavid dynasty, which, through conquests and an energetic policy of centralization, created a new vast Persian state from the Syr Darya to the Euphrates. Shah Ismail I (reigned 1502-1524), whose capital was Tabriz, declared Shiism state religion countries, which finally alienated the Azerbaijanis from the Seljuk Turks. Under the Safavids, Azerbaijan often became a battlefield in the wars between Shiite Persia and Sunni Turkey. Due to the threat of Ottoman invasions, the Safavid capital was moved from Tabriz to Qazvin, and later to Isfahan. Azerbaijan, being a strategically important province, was ruled by a governor who usually combined this position with the highest military rank of Sepahsalar. The Safavid rule lasted until 1722; at the same time, the state gradually lost its Azeri character and acquired a Persian character. In 1723 Turkey captured most of Azerbaijan. After the assassination of the Persian ruler Nadir Shah in 1747, the state collapsed. To the north of the Araks river appeared approx. 15 independent khanates, including Karabakh, Sheki, Shirvan, Baku, Ganja, Kuba, Nakhichevan, Derbent and Talysh. The period of the existence of the khanates (the second half of the 18th century) was marked by rivalry between Turkey and Persia, political fragmentation and civil strife, which facilitated Russian penetration into the Caucasus. The preferred means of expanding Russian influence was the conclusion of treaties under which local rulers became vassals of Russia. A challenge to this process was thrown by Persia, which became stronger during the Shah's Qajar dynasty. The result was two Russian-Persian wars: 1804-1813 and 1826-1828. The first ended with the Peace of Gulistan (1813), according to which the Karabakh, Ganja, Sheki, Shirvan, Kuba, Derbent, Baku and Talysh khanates, as well as Western Georgia (Imereti and Abkhazia) and Dagestan went to Russia. The second war, in which Russia also won, ended in the Turkmanchay peace (1828), according to which two large khanates went to Russia: Nakhichevan and Erivan. The Turkmanchay world has completed the division of Azerbaijan along the Araks river. Revolution of 1905 in Russia awakened political life Azerbaijan, accompanied by the emergence of political organizations and a free press. Of the political organizations that emerged after the 1905 revolution, the Musavat party was the longest in existence and had the most adherents. Founded illegally in 1911, it rapidly increased in number after the overthrow of tsarism in Russia in 1917. The most important components of the Musavat ideology were secular nationalism and federalism (Azerbaijani autonomy within the framework of more large state). The right and left factions of the party disagreed on a number of issues, in particular on land reform. The leader of the party was M.E. Rasulzade, leaning towards the left.
First independent republic. After the October Revolution of 1917, Russia plunged into the chaos of a civil war. Soviet power was established in Baku on November 15, 1917. But on May 28, 1918, the Musavat Azerbaijan National Council proclaimed the Azerbaijan Republic with the provisional capital in Ganja. The previously rarely used geographical name Azerbaijan has now become the name of the state of the people, previously called the Caucasian Tatars, Transcaucasian Muslims or Caucasian Turks. The republic existed for almost two years, while from May to October 1918 it was occupied by Turkey, and from November 1918 to August 1919 - by Great Britain. However, Turkey, which had joined the Austro-German bloc during World War I (1914), surrendered to the Entente troops at the end of October 1918. The Turkish occupation troops were replaced by the British, which occupied Baku in August, and in September they disbanded the Baku Council of People's Commissars and shot its Bolshevik leaders (26 Baku commissars). After that, in less than a year, five governments were replaced in the republic; they were all formed by the Musavat party in coalition with other parties. The prime minister of the first three governments was Fatali Khan-Khoysky, the last two - Nasib Yusufbekov. The head of state was considered the chairman of the parliament - A.M. Topchibashev. In this capacity, he represented Azerbaijan at the Versailles Peace Conference of 1919. The survival of independent Azerbaijan after the withdrawal of British troops in August 1919 completely depended on the outcome of the civil war in Russia. In the spring of 1920, the victory was on the side of the Red Army, and its units entered Azerbaijan on April 28, 1920. On the same day, the Soviet government of Azerbaijan was formed, headed by Nariman Narimanov.
Soviet period. The history of Soviet Azerbaijan began with the suppression of armed uprisings in various parts of the country. In December 1922, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia formed the temporary state union of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (TSFSR), which became part of the USSR on December 30, 1922. In the 1930s, loyalty checks and mass purges began in the USSR. These purges in Azerbaijan were led by M.Dzh.Bagirov, the first secretary of the Central Committee The communist party Azerbaijan. The intelligentsia and peasants were subjected to special terror, but purges were also carried out among the communist leaders who were noticed to sympathize with Pan-Turkism or had contacts with revolutionary movements in Iran or Turkey. In 1936, at the height of the purges and cooling of relations with Turkey, the TSFSR was dissolved, and the Azerbaijan SSR became an independent republic within the USSR. Azerbaijani Turks began to be officially called Azerbaijanis, and their national language was named Azerbaijani instead of Turkish.
The Second World War. German troops, who invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, reached the Greater Caucasus Range in July 1942, but the Germans never entered the territory of Azerbaijan. Many Azerbaijanis fought in the ranks of the Red Army, but no less than 35 thousand Azerbaijani prisoners of war entered the German army and were used both in the front line and in the rear. The event that changed the direction of Azerbaijani nationalism was the occupation of Iranian Azerbaijan by Soviet troops in the summer of 1941. The Soviet presence south of the Araks River led to a revival of pan-Azerbaijani sentiments. In November 1945, with Soviet support, an "Azerbaijani people's government" was formed in Tabriz, headed by SJ Pishevari, the leader of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party. Azerbaijani cultural and educational institutions were created throughout Iranian Azerbaijan, the opinion was spread about the possibility of unification of both Azerbaijan under the auspices of the USSR. As a result, the problem of Iranian Azerbaijan became one of the first conflicts cold war, under pressure from the Western powers, the Soviet Union was forced to withdraw its troops beyond the Araks. By the end of 1946, the Iranian government had restored its authority over Iranian Azerbaijan.
Post-war period. In the postwar years, the Stalinist policy of repression was continued. Khrushchev's "thaw" (1955-1964) was a period of weakening control in the field of literature and social life. At the same time, the "thaw" was marked by a new anti-Islamic campaign and the return of the Sovietization policy within the framework of the "rapprochement of nations", which was supposed to lead to the merger of all the peoples of the USSR into a new community - the Soviet people. The 1960s saw the first signs of a crisis in the Soviet colonial system. The oil industry, which is most important for Azerbaijan, began to lose its positions in the economy due to the depletion of the proven reserves of Azerbaijani oil and the development of new fields in other regions of the Soviet Union. The crisis in the oil industry has led to a reduction in investment in the Azerbaijani economy. Trying to put an end to the crisis, the authorities of the USSR in 1969 appointed Heydar Aliyev as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan. Aliyev managed to improve the economic situation and accelerate the growth of industry, as well as to consolidate the republican ruling elite. In 1982 Aliyev became a member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. In 1987 he returned to Azerbaijan. The Islamic revolution that took place in neighboring Iran in 1978 led to a revival of religious ideas in Azerbaijan. In response to the growing Iranian influence, the slogan "United Azerbaijan" was again put forward, however, embodied more in publicism than in concrete political actions. Azerbaijan lagged behind other Soviet republics in the development of the dissident movement. A political awakening comparable to the movement of the period 1905-1907 began in February 1988. Independent publications and political organizations began to emerge as part of the glasnost policy. Of these organizations, the most powerful was Popular Front Azerbaijan (APF), which by the fall of 1989 seemed ready to take power from the Communist Party. But in January 1990, a split occurred in the PFA between the conservative Islamist and moderate currents. Most of the leaders of the APF were arrested. In the alternative elections held in September 1990, the communists received approx. 90% of the votes and were accused of falsifying the election results. After the failed coup attempt on August 19-21, 1991 in Moscow, the pro-communist Supreme Soviet of the republic proclaimed the independence of Azerbaijan on August 30, 1991. This was followed by the dissolution of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, although its members retained their positions in the government and economy. In September 1991, the last leader of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutalibov, was elected president of the republic. The Supreme Soviet formally enacted the Declaration of Independence on October 18. Meanwhile, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh expanded. In early 1992, regional Armenian leaders proclaimed the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. In the ensuing war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the advantage was on the side of the Armenians. Failures in Nagorno-Karabakh prompted the resignation of Mutalibov in March 1992. In June 1992, new presidential elections were held. The former communist nomenklatura failed to nominate a prominent leader, and Abulfaz Elchibey, the leader of the PFA, a former dissident and political prisoner, was elected president, for whom more than 60% of the votes were cast. He opposed Azerbaijan's membership in the CIS, for rapprochement with Turkey and expansion of ties with Azerbaijanis in Iran. Heydar Aliyev became the leader of Nakhichevan, where he pursued his own foreign policy towards Armenia, Iran and Turkey. President Elchibey also failed in resolving the problems that led to the resignation of Mutalibov. The continuation of hostilities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh gradually revealed the advantage of the Armenians, who occupied approximately 1/5 of the territory of Azerbaijan. In early June 1993 in Ganja, under the leadership of Colonel Suret Huseynov, a rebellion was raised against President Elchibey, who, finding himself without support in the face of military failures, deteriorating economic situation and political opposition, was forced to flee. Power in Baku passed to Aliyev, who quickly strengthened his position. Elchibey was removed from office in a referendum in August, and Aliyev was elected president in October. Aliyev's rise to power became part of the general process of returning to power the former Soviet leaders in many republics of the former USSR. Having strengthened his position in the country, Aliyev returned Azerbaijan to the CIS. Iran welcomed Aliyev's coming to power, as he feared the influence of the PFA in Iranian Azerbaijan, but in Turkey this was perceived as Baku's departure from the pro-Turkish orientation. In subsequent years, Aliyev strengthened relations with Turkey and Western countries, whose interests were focused on the development of the Caspian oil fields.
Collier's Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .
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The Republic of Azerbaijan, a state in the west of Asia, in the Transcaucasus. Area 86.6 thousand sq. km. It borders in the north with Russia, in the northwest with Georgia, in the west with Armenia, in the south with Iran, in the east it is washed by the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan ... ... Collier's Encyclopedia
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TO late XVIII - early XIX v. the internal and external political situation of Azerbaijan was extremely difficult. First of all, this manifested itself in the political and economic backwardness caused by the dominance of the natural economy, the feudal fragmentation of the country and civil strife. Also, one cannot ignore the fact that the invasions of foreign invaders, represented by Iran, constantly hindered the creation of a centralized state in Azerbaijan, the emergence of capitalist relations. Azerbaijan, like other countries of Transcaucasia, could not successfully develop the economy by its internal forces alone and at the same time prevent encroachments from external enemies.
As historical practice shows, the best way to centralize a state can only be the establishment of restrained control by a more powerful state, but in this situation a twofold situation arises: the line between control and enslavement is thin. In the case of Azerbaijan, the following picture of events emerged: the attempts of individual khans to unite Azerbaijan under their rule were doomed to failure, then the country could only expect the forceful subordination of disparate territories from Iran or Turkey. Another option was the search for a military-political patron with their own economic interests, which would also allow the development of an independent economic system in Azerbaijan itself.
Tsarist Russia became such a patron for him, expressing the interests of the noble landowners and merchants, striving to conquer new economic zones, expand sales markets and obtain sources of raw materials. Transcaucasia, including Azerbaijan, given its strategic and economic importance, has become the most attractive target foreign policy tsarist Russia. The conquest of this land would have decided the balance of forces in the traditional Russian-Turkish rivalry in favor of Russia.
Regardless of the subjective aspirations of tsarism, the annexation of Transcaucasia to Russia was objectively bound to lead to progressive consequences. By the beginning of the 19th century. in Russia capitalist relations developed, industry and trade grew. Petersburg, Moscow and many other cities have become major economic and cultural centers.
Russia acted in the East as an advanced country. F. Engels wrote that "Russia really plays a progressive role in relation to the East", that "Russian domination plays a civilizing role for the Black and Caspian Seas and Central Asia, for the Bashkirs and Tatars ...".
In the concrete historical situation of that time, the further strengthening of the Russian orientation of Azerbaijan, which played an important role in its annexation to Russia, was of great importance. The most far-sighted feudal rulers of Azerbaijan at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries sought to strengthen economic and political ties with Russia, wanted to pass into her citizenship. As they wanted good relationship with a strong power, it would help develop trade. In 1800, the Talysh Khanate was taken under the patronage of Russia. In 1801, the ambassadors of the Talysh, Baku and Cuban khanates arrived at the court of Emperor Alexander I (1801-1825), who negotiated the terms of joining Russia.
The Western European powers, especially England and France, which also had plans of conquest in the Transcaucasus, closely followed Russia's actions in the Transcaucasus and sought to thwart her plans.
The annexation of Eastern Georgia to Russia in 1801 on September 12, 1801 was of great importance for all the peoples of the Caucasus. The Tsar's manifesto on the annexation of the Kartli-Kakhetian kingdom to Russia was promulgated. The Georgian province was formed, at the head of which was the commander-in-chief of the troops and a civilian ruler. This province also included a part of the territory of Azerbaijan - the Gazakh, Borchali and Shamshadil sultans, which were in vassal dependence on the Kartli-Kakhetian kingdom and, together with the latter, were annexed to Russia. Consequently, with the annexation of Georgia to Russia, the beginning of the conquest of the Azerbaijani lands by Russia was laid.
At the same time, the Kazakh and Shamshadil sultans, mainly inhabited by Azerbaijanis, became part of the Russian state. The joining of Azerbaijan to Russia began. In the rescript of Alexander 1 of September 12, 1801, it was said: "While maintaining relations with the surrounding owners and peoples, try to increase the number of adherents to Russia, especially to attract the khans of Erivan, Gandzhin, Sheki, Shirvan, Baku and others, over whom Baba khan still has power. it has not established itself, and for that reason, in the present circumstances, for their safety they will, of course, be more inclined towards Russia. "
The tsarist government, supporting individual khans of Azerbaijan from the predatory aspirations of Iran and Turkey, did not at all intend to grant independence to these feudal rulers, although for some reason it assumed after the entry of the khanates under the patronage of Russia to retain for some time the khan's power in internal government, to give a guarantee of compliance with internal regulations and customs.
During this period, Prince P. Tsitsianov, who came from an old Georgian noble family, who in September 1802 was appointed Commander-in-Chief in the Caucasus, became the conductor of the colonial policy in the Transcaucasus. The tsarist government, having entrusted him with all the civil and military power in the Transcaucasus, hoped to "pacify" the Caucasus with his help. Tsitsianov was distinguished by his contemptuous and cruel attitude to the peoples of the Caucasus. This is evidenced by his humiliating letters sent to many Azerbaijani khans during the conquest of Azerbaijan by Russia. Using the territory of Eastern Georgia as a starting point, the tsarist government began to implement its plan in relation to Azerbaijan.
General Tsitsianov attached great importance to the seizure of the Ganja Khanate, since the Ganja fortress was the key to the further advance of Russian troops deep into Azerbaijan.
The Ganja Khanate was annexed to Russia without bloodshed, and was turned into a district, and Ganja was renamed Elizavetpol in honor of the wife of Alexander I.
The annexation of Georgia, the conquest of a part of Northern Azerbaijan by Russia caused discontent on the part of the ruling circles of Iran and Turkey, as well as England and France, friendly to them during this period. Over the next several decades, these states attempted different ways turn the local ruling elite into their allies and provoke social unrest in the country, directed primarily against Russia.
In 1800, an English officer, a "specialist in Oriental affairs," Malcolm, arrived in Iran and concluded a treaty with the Shah's government against Russia. When negotiating with the Shah's court, the British widely used bribery. K. Marx noted that England, in the name of her predatory interests, spent huge sums of money in Iran to bribe everyone and everything - "from the shah to the camel driver."
The Iranian feudal elite, headed by Fetkhali Shah, in May 1804 demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transcaucasia. The claim was rejected and on June 10, 1804 there was a break diplomatic relations between Russia and Iran. The Russian-Iranian war began, which lasted about 10 years.
The foreign policy position of Russia and its subordinate peoples at that time was unstable. The peoples of the Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, played a significant role in this war. For example, even before the invasion of Karabakh, Abbas-Mirza threatened the Kazakhs , that in case of refusal to recognize the authority of Iran, their "families will be captured" and all their livestock will be driven away. However, the Kazakhs rejected this demand and strengthened strategically important points... When the Shah's troops invaded Kazakh, the locals organized a large detachment and defeated them, capturing many trophies.
Taking advantage of a respite in the course of hostilities, the Russian government hastened to subjugate the Shirvan, Baku and Cuban khanates in order to expand its possessions in the Transcaucasus. On December 27, 1805, an agreement was signed on the transfer of the Shirvan Khanate to the rule of Russia.
Having taken the Shirvan Khanate, Russia opened its way to Baku. Baku was the most attractive port for Russia and the most important strategic point on the Caspian coast and was taken without any military action. Huseynguli Khan fled to Iran and on October 3, Baku was finally annexed to Russia, and the Baku Khanate was abolished.
Thus, at the end of 1806, the entire territory of Northern Azerbaijan, with the exception of the Talish Khanate, was in the possession of Russia. However, this did not simplify the position of the southern borders.
At the end of 1806, Turkey unleashed a war against Russia. Russian troops won a number of victories on the Caucasian and Balkan fronts of the Russian-Turkish war.
At this time, social unrest swept across the territory of Azerbaijan. Having coped with the uprisings and other actions in the northern khanates of Azerbaijan, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops, General Gudovich, contributed to some rearrangements among the local feudal rulers. Thus, the Derbent and Cuban khanates were temporarily given under the authority of Shamkhal Tarkovsky, and later turned into provinces of the empire. Jafarguli Khan Khoysky, who had gone over to the side of Russia at the beginning of the Russian-Iranian war, was appointed Sheki Khan. A significant part of the population "- Azerbaijanis and Armenians moved to Sheki from the Khoi Khanate, forming a number of new villages, as well as a new suburb of Nukhi - Yenikend. In Karabakh, Gudovich approved Mehtiguli Khan, the son of Ibrahim Khalil Khan, in power. Treaty of 1812 ceased hostilities against Russia as well as Turkey.Thus, Iran had to fight with Russia alone
The Russian-Iranian war ended the Gulistan peace treaty on October 12 (24), 1813, signed in the town of Gulistan on behalf of Russia by Lieutenant General N.F. Rtishchev and on behalf of Iran - Mirza Abul-Hasan. Negotiations on an armistice began in 1812 at the initiative of the Iranian commander, heir to the throne, Abbas Mirza.
Even after the conclusion of the Gulistan peace treaty, the ruling circles of Iran did not abandon their predatory claims to the Transcaucasus. As before, Britain was pushing Iran to the war with Russia. In 1814 she signed a treaty with Iran against Russia. In the event of a war between Iran and Russia, England pledged to annually pay the Shah 200 thousand tumans, which were to be spent under the supervision of the British ambassador. The treaty also provided for the "mediation" of the British, that is, their direct intervention, in defining the Russian-Iranian border. This treaty not only placed Iran in a dependent position on the British government, but also provoked it to go to war with Russia.
England sent its officers to Iran, with their help regular regiments were formed, which were supplied with British weapons. In Iran, British agents intensified their activities. important information in England.
Encouraged by Britain, the Iranian government presented Russia with demands for the cession of the Talysh Khanate and Mugan. With the assistance of the British ambassador in St. Petersburg, the Shah's court tried to achieve a revision of the terms of the Gulistan Treaty. For this purpose, an extraordinary ambassador was sent from Tehran to St. Petersburg.
In turn, the Russian government sent a diplomatic mission to Tehran headed by General Yermolov. As a result of the intrigues of British diplomacy, he met with a hostile reception. No agreement was reached on any of the issues on which the negotiations were going, and Russian-Iranian relations continued to be strained.
Iran was preparing for a new war. The Russian consul reported from Tabriz on the cannon firing of Abbass Mirza's troops, continuously conducting exercises. "The artillery in its form and charter is completely English," wrote AP Ermolov from Iran.
Iran tried to raise rebellions in the khanates of Azerbaijan, with the help of the khans who fled to Iran. In addition, Iran wanted to improve relations with Turkey to fight Russia.
On July 16, 1826, the 60,000-strong Iranian army under the command of Abbass Mirza crossed Arak without declaring war and invaded the northern part of Azerbaijan. The hostile troops exterminated, plundered and tortured the population of the Transcaucasus, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, and Georgians.
The main forces of the Iranian army moved to Karabakh. Foreign officers who were in the service of Abbass Mirza took an active part in the siege. Russian soldiers, with the help of the population, staunchly defended the city. The defenders of the fortress threw oil-soaked rags from the walls, and the flames lit up the columns of the attacking sarbaz. Even women and girls took part in the defense of the city: under enemy fire, they supplied cartridges to the soldiers, bandaged the wounded. The assault was repulsed.
The enemy tried to seize Shusha again and again. During one of these attempts, those advancing on the orders of Abbass Mirza drove hundreds of captured residents of Karabakh in front of them. The Iranian command threatened the prisoners that they would all be killed if they did not persuade their compatriots to surrender the city. But the prisoners said: "Better to let a few hundred people die than the whole people will fall under heavy oppression ...".
The defense of Shushi lasted 48 days. The army of Abbass Mirza was never able to capture the city. The heroic defense of the fortress delayed the advance of the main forces of the invaders for a long time.
At the same time, the Iranian army attacked other khanates of Azerbaijan. As a result of the invasion of Iranian troops and revolts organized and led by the khans, many provinces of Azerbaijan, which had barely healed their wounds after the first Russian-Iranian war, were again devastated.
By the fall of 1826, reinforcements were transferred from Russia to the Transcaucasus. The command of the troops was entrusted to General I.F. Paskevich, and A.P. Ermolov remained the chief commander in the Caucasus for some time. Soon the Russian army launched a counteroffensive.
Russian troops began to win and return the khanates captured by Iran. The Shah's government, extremely alarmed by the victories of the Russian troops, hastened to begin negotiations for peace.
The accession to Russia saved the Azerbaijani people from the danger of enslavement by the backward Iran and Turkey. Only by tying their fate with the Russian people, the peoples of the Caucasus, tormented by foreign conquerors, escaped extermination and got rid of the devastating invasions and raids of Iranian and Turkish feudal lords.
The outstanding Azerbaijani philosopher, playwright, educator and public figure Mirza Fatali Akhundov, who in 1877 wrote: "... Thanks to the patronage of the Russian state, we got rid of the endless invasions that took place in the past" and plundering hordes of conquest and finally found peace. "
In the northern part of Azerbaijan, the tendencies towards the aggravation of feudal fragmentation were eliminated, internecine wars that ruined the country and hindered its development. The elimination of political fragmentation and the associated first steps towards the economic development of Northern Azerbaijan by Russia were of great importance for its subsequent development.
One of the immediate results of Azerbaijan's accession to Russia, which was already evident in the first quarter of the 19th century, was a noticeable development of commodity-money relations. In the XIX century. Azerbaijan gradually began to be drawn into the mainstream of Russia's economic development, joined the Russian market and, through it, was involved in the world trade turnover. Under the influence of the Russian economy in Azerbaijan, although slowly, economic isolation was destroyed, productive forces grew, capitalist relations arose, and a working class began to form.
The annexation of Azerbaijan to Russia significantly contributed to the introduction of the Azerbaijani people to the advanced Russian culture. Russia with its progressive culture exerted a beneficial influence on the Azerbaijani people and other peoples of the Caucasus.
At the same time, the heavy oppression of tsarism, landlords and capitalists put pressure on the Russian people and on all the peoples of Russia. The popular masses of non-Russian nationalities, including the Azerbaijani people, were subjected to the double oppression of tsarism and local exploiters. Relying on the local landowners and the bourgeoisie, tsarism pursued a cruel colonialist policy in Azerbaijan, fiercely suppressed the national liberation movement, and hampered the development of the Azerbaijani language and culture.
But even under the conditions of the colonial oppression of tsarist Russia, being powerless and oppressed, the peoples of the Caucasus invariably gravitated towards the Russian people, in whose person they found a friend and defender in the struggle for their social and national liberation. "Under the mighty influence of the revolutionary movement in Russia in the future a new stage of the liberation movement in Azerbaijan The people of Azerbaijan, together with other peoples of our country, led by the Russian people, led the struggle against the common enemy - tsarism, landowners and the bourgeoisie.
The annexation of the Transcaucasus to Russia was of great international importance. It struck a blow at the aggressive aspirations of the Shah's Iran and Sultan Turkey and the British and French colonialists behind them, and contributed to the subsequent rapprochement of the peoples of Russia and the East.
In the past few days, the entire Azerbaijani-speaking Facebook has been attacked with accusations against the deputy of the Milli Mejlis, oppositionist Fazil Mustafa, however, the Russian-speaking one also contributed. The parliamentarian was defamed with whatever words, but all because he wrote on his page in this social network that there was no state in history called "Azerbaijan" ...
He made a similar statement on the air of one of the Azerbaijani TV channels. “I know only one truth. The state of Azerbaijan was formed only in 1918. Today's Azerbaijan is the heir of this particular state. I said this on TV as well, ”the deputy says, adding that everyone who objected should give examples or try to convince him.
In the same place, in FB, he expresses the idea that in Azerbaijan many people invent history and exploits so that the people believe in their heroic past. "However, our society needs the truth, and let some people consider it revisionism or blasphemy, I don't care!" - he writes. The legal scholar emphasizes that quite a lot of time has passed since his speeches in the media on this topic, but nowhere have counterarguments appeared to cancel out his statements, and there were no more objective objections either. That is, no one dared to argue with him on the basis of facts and concrete evidence.
A bit of history
Let us nevertheless, before resenting or agreeing with Fazil Mustafa, try to analyze his stunning declarations for many. So, according to all written sources, the traced history of Azerbaijan dates back to the 1st millennium BC, when the state of Manna was formed on the territory of northern Iran. Significantly expanding its borders by the 7th century. BC, in alliance with Babylonia, it conquered Assyria and Urartu. Thus, a new state appeared - Media. Under the Iranian ruler Atropates, Manna received the name Median Atropatena. According to some versions, it was from this word that the modern name "Azerbaijan" came from.
"Azer" in translation from Arabic means fire, and "Azerbaijan", thus - "land of fires or fire worshipers." During the formation of the Arab states, Azerbaijan was influenced by them, and Islam began to spread on its territory (7th century AD). After the Arab conquest, the territory was called Azerbaijan, uniting North and South Azerbaijan. With the invasion of the Seljuk Turks and the Mongol-Tatars, the process of Turkization began (XI-XIV centuries), the states of Atabeks, Gara-Goyunlu and Aggoyunlu appeared here. Later, the state of the Safavids appeared on these lands, in the 16th-18th centuries, and its territory became the object of the struggle between Persia and the Ottoman Empire.
Before the annexation of Azerbaijan to Russia (1813-1828), it represented several feudal states (khanates), the largest of which are Cuban, Baku, Karabakh and Shirvan. After joining Russia, the territory of modern Azerbaijan became known as the Baku province. On May 28, 1918, the first parliamentary democratic republic in the Muslim East was proclaimed in the eastern part of the South Caucasus - Azerbaijan Democratic Republic- ADR) with the capital in the city of Ganja. After the occupation of the ADR by the Red Army, the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic was created, and in December 1922 the entire Transcaucasus, territorially including Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, formed the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (TSFSR). Later, in 1922, it became part of the USSR, and in 1936 it was dissolved, thereby forming three separate republics that became part of the USSR.
As you can see, the name "Azerbaijan" our country received only in 1918. No matter what anyone says, history is a thing as stubborn as facts, and in fact F. Mustafa told the truth.
Friendly neighbors - Baku Tatars
Azerbaijanis are one of those peoples who, due to their origin, stand apart in some respects. One of the reasons is that the past is practically closed to us: within less than a century, only the alphabet had to be changed three times, that is, the whole people had to re-study the written heritage three times. It was especially hard when switching from Arabic to Latin script.
Before the October Revolution, when there was no particular smell of atheism, Azerbaijani intellectuals, as it was supposed to be true Muslims, began their works with the Quranic dictum “Bismillah rahmani-rahim”, that is, “I begin in the name of Allah”. And for the representatives of the new government, all books beginning with "the name of Allah", of course, were subject to immediate destruction, by the way, like those individuals who were educated in some Istanbul, Najaf or Damascus.
In addition, people who could read and write on the basis of the Arabic alphabet were considered illiterate, and in the post-revolutionary conditions they turned out to be so - their knowledge was not suitable for the new government. In pre-Tsar times, when the Azerbaijanis were subjects of the Persian Shah, they were treated as wayward and restless people, and they did not really like them. Although among those in different time occupied the throne or was very close to it, there were also Azerbaijanis. Looking ahead, I will note that to this day - now in modern Iran - the attitude of the authorities towards Azerbaijanis is approximately the same, and there is a reason for that. Azerbaijanis were at the origin of all the revolutions that took place in Iran in the 20th century. The nation, which makes up almost half of the country's population, to this day does not have the opportunity to teach children in its native language.
Oil and gas fields located in the territory of Iranian Azerbaijan are not being developed in order to avoid the concentration of a critical mass of people capable of organizing here. Until recently, Tabriz, the capital of southern Azerbaijanis, was absolutely inaccessible to "Soviet" Azerbaijanis.
For those who ended up as a result of the division of Azerbaijan on this side of the Araz (Araks) River, that is, as part of Russian Empire, little has changed. In tsarist times, Azerbaijanis, as unreliable people (non-Christians), had special "privileges". They were not taken into the army (except perhaps the sons of some highly distinguished aristocrats). They were so distrusted that Russian or Armenian settlers were settled along the state borders in Azerbaijan, just in case. Azerbaijanis were even denied self-designation (which was and still is in Iran), possibly with the aim of dissolving into the mass of other nationalities. They called them, at best, with the light hand of the religious belonging of "benevolent" neighbors, Muslims, Caucasian Turks, Caucasian or Baku Tatars, who pleased the imperial power.
The phenomenon of a young nation
Despite the abundance of historical material on ancient and medieval Azerbaijan, the essence and criteria of the “Azerbaijani state” phenomenon have not been fully investigated. The question is which of the countries that existed in antiquity and the Middle Ages can be called “Azerbaijani” and which ones cannot? The complexity of the problem is due to the fact that the lands of Azerbaijan were not always part of a single state, and not all states created by our ancestors were called “Azerbaijan”. In particular, the states that existed on its modern territory bore alternately different names - Manna, Media, Caucasian Albania, Shirvan, Arran, the states of Eldenizids, Elkhanids, Safavids, etc. In general, the nation state is a phenomenon of late times. In the Middle Ages, all over the world, states were tribal, dynastic, but not national, in the modern sense of the word, character. This was the case in Europe and Asia, and Azerbaijan is no exception in this sense.
The culmination of nation-building in Azerbaijan was the proclamation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) on May 28, 1918, the first republic in the entire Muslim world. Unlike the medieval state formations, the ADR was a national state that did not protect the rights of one or another feudal dynasty to own one or another part of the country, but realizing the right of the Azerbaijani people to national self-determination.
The leader of the national movement M.E. Rasulzade at the session of the ADR parliament in 1919, dedicated to the anniversary of Azerbaijan's independence, said the following in this regard: “All other states of Turkic origin in their emergence were based mainly on a religious basis, while the Republic of Azerbaijan is based on a modern basis of national and cultural self-determination , on the basis of the Turkic national-democratic statehood ”. For the first time in the Islamic world, the ADR introduced a multi-party parliamentary system, a republican system, separated the church from the state, adopted a law on the national language, ensured the rights of national minorities and granted women the right to vote. From this date, the countdown of a new era in the history of state building in Azerbaijan began.
Answering the puzzled question of Baku students back in 1918, the famous historian, orientalist Vasily Bartold wrote: the name Azerbaijan was adopted. " Later, after the fall of the ADR, the Azerbaijan SSR from a non-national republic, according to the plan of the "father of peoples", was to become national republic and cease to be an exception among other republics created along ethnic lines.
The political focus of this project, which for obvious reasons was not advertised, consisted in the creation of an independent nation from the local ethno-conglomeration, equidistant from the Turkish and Persian identity. This was the idea behind the project. Again, personally M.E. Rasulzadeh belongs to the decision on the historical name of the northwestern province of Iran, which, despite the protests of Iran, was assigned as the name of the first proclaimed statehood.
Both in 1918-1920, and after the establishment of Soviet power in Baku, the name "Azerbaijan" had no geographical meaning in relation to the east of Transcaucasia, since it was introduced as the name of a state entity. Eastern Transcaucasia had never been called Azerbaijan before. There was no such thing as "Azerbaijanis" in the lists of the 1st All-Union Census, it did not exist. There is hardly any doubt that if there were even the most minimal prerequisites for the unification of the scattered Turkic unions into a nation, the leaders of the Soviet state would not fail to take advantage of this opportunity.
In the questionnaires of the All-Union Census, the Turkic Muslim population of Transcaucasia was summed up under the collective column "Turks", since nothing more substantive Soviet authorities(as of the mid-twenties) they could not offer - the people did not appear in any way and the name "Azerbaijanis" appeared only after Stalin's decision.
So Fazil Mustafa did not publish anything unusual, he just presented the historical realities. We should not be like the Armenians and build myths - oh, they say, how ancient we are. Yes, we are a young state and a young nation, and we should be proud of this no less than Americans are proud of the United States.
Azerbaijan is a country in the southeast of the Caucasus. Many important and interesting events took place in these lands. And history can tell us a lot about them. Azerbaijan will appear in a historical retrospective, revealing the secrets of its past.
Location of Azerbaijan
Located in the east of the Transcaucasus. From the north, the border of Azerbaijan is in contact with the Russian Federation. In the south, the country borders on Iran, in the west - with Armenia, in the north-west - with Georgia. From the east, the country is washed by the waves of the Caspian Sea.
The territory of Azerbaijan is almost equally represented by mountainous regions and lowlands. This fact played an important role in the historical development of the country.
Primitive times
First of all, we will learn about the most ancient times, into which history allows us to look. Azerbaijan was inhabited at the dawn of human development. Thus, the most ancient site of a Neanderthal man on the territory of the country dates back more than 1.5 million years ago.
The most significant parking ancient man found in the Azykh and Taglar caves.
Ancient Azerbaijan
The first state located on the territory of Azerbaijan was Manna. Its center was located within the borders of modern Iranian Azerbaijan.
The name "Azerbaijan" comes from the name of Atropat, the governor, who began to rule in Manna after the conquest of it by Persia. In honor of him, the whole country began to be called Media Atropatena, which was later transformed into the name "Azerbaijan".
One of the first peoples who inhabited Azerbaijan were the Albanians. This ethnic group belonged to the Nakh-Dagestan language family and was closely related to modern Lezgins. In the 1st millennium the Albanians had their own state. Unlike Manna, it was located in the north of the country. Caucasian Albania was constantly subjected to the predatory aspirations of Ancient Rome, Byzantium, the Parthian kingdom and Iran. For some time, Tigran II was able to gain a foothold in large areas of the country.
In the IV century. n. NS. Christianity came from Armenia to the territory of Albania, which until then was dominated by local religions and Zoroastrianism.
Arab conquest
In the VII century. n. NS. an event happened that played a decisive role in the history of the region. It is about the Arab conquest. First, the Arabs conquered the Iranian kingdom, from which Albania was in, and then began an attack on Azerbaijan itself. After the Arabs seized the country, its history took a new turn. Azerbaijan has now become forever inextricably linked with Islam. The Arabs, having included the country in the Caliphate, began to pursue a systematic policy of Islamizing the region and quickly achieved their goals. The southern ones were first subjected to Islamization, and then new religion infiltrated countryside and to the north of the country.
But not everything went so easily for the Arab administration in the southeastern Caucasus. In 816, an uprising began in Azerbaijan, directed against the Arabs and Islam. This popular movement was led by Babek, who adhered to the ancient Zoroastrian religion. The main pillars of the uprising were artisans and peasants. For more than twenty years, the people, led by Babek, fought against the Arab authorities. The rebels even managed to expel the Arab garrisons from the territory of Azerbaijan. To suppress the uprising, the Caliphate had to consolidate all its forces.
State of the Shirvanshahs
Despite the fact that the uprising was suppressed, the Caliphate weakened every year. He no longer had the strength, as before, to control various parts of the huge empire.
The governors of the northern part of Azerbaijan (Shirvan), starting from 861, began to be called Shirvanshahs and passed on their power by inheritance. They were nominally subordinate to the caliph, but in fact they were completely independent rulers. Over time, even nominal dependence disappeared.
The capital of the Shirvanshahs was initially Shemakha, and then Baku. The state existed until 1538, when it was incorporated into the Persian state of the Safavids.
At the same time, in the south of the country, there were alternating states of the Sajids, Salarids, Sheddadids, Ravvadids, who also either did not recognize the authority of the Caliphate at all, or did it only formally.
Turkization of Azerbaijan
No less important for history than the Islamization of the region caused by the Arab conquest was its Turkization due to the invasion of various Turkic nomadic tribes. But, unlike Islamization, this process stretched over several centuries. The importance of this event is emphasized by a number of factors that characterize modern Azerbaijan: the language and culture of the country's modern population is of Turkic origin.
The first wave of the Turkic invasion was the invasion of the Oguz Seljuk tribes from Central Asia, which happened in the XI century. It was accompanied by huge destruction and destruction of the local population. Many residents of Azerbaijan fled to the mountains to escape. Therefore, it was the mountainous regions of the country that were least of all subjected to Turkization. Here Christianity became the dominant religion, and the inhabitants of Azerbaijan mixed with the Armenians who lived in the mountainous regions. At the same time, the population that remained in their places, mixing with the Turkic conquerors, adopted their language and culture, but at the same time retained cultural heritage their ancestors. The ethnos formed from this mixing began to be called Azerbaijanis in the future.
After the collapse of the united state of the Seljuks, the Ildegezid dynasty of Turkic origin ruled on the territory of southern Azerbaijan, and then for a short time these lands were seized by the Khorezmshahs.
In the first half of the XIII century, the Caucasus was subjected to the Mongol invasion. Azerbaijan was included in the state of the Mongolian dynasty of Hulaguids centered on the territory of modern Iran.
After the fall of the Hulaguid dynasty in 1355, Azerbaijan for a short time became part of the state of Tamerlane, and then became part of the state formations of the Oghuz tribes Kara-Koyunlu and Ak-Koyunlu. It was during this period that the final formation of the Azerbaijani people took place.
Azerbaijan as part of Iran
After the fall of the Ak-Koyunlu state, in 1501, a powerful Safavid state with its center in Tabriz was formed on the territory of Iran and southern Azerbaijan. Later, the capital was moved to the Iranian cities of Qazvin and Isfahan.
The Safavid state possessed all the attributes of a real empire. Especially stubborn struggle The Safavids led in the west with the gaining power of the Ottoman Empire, including in the Caucasus.
In 1538, the Safavids managed to conquer the state of the Shirvanshahs. Thus, the entire territory of modern Azerbaijan came under their rule. Iran retained control over the country under the following dynasties - Hotaki, Afsharid and Zend. In 1795, the Qajar dynasty of Turkic origin reigned in Iran.
At that time, Azerbaijan was already divided into many small khanates, which were subordinate to the central Iranian government.
The conquest of Azerbaijan by the Russian Empire
The first attempts to establish Russian control over the territories of Azerbaijan were undertaken under Peter I. But at that time the advance of the Russian Empire in the Transcaucasus did not have much success.
The situation changed radically in the first half of the 19th century. During the two Russian-Persian wars, which lasted from 1804 to 1828, almost the entire territory of modern Azerbaijan was annexed to the Russian Empire.
It was one of the turning points in history. Since then, Azerbaijan has been associated with Russia for a long time. The beginning of oil production in Azerbaijan and the development of industry dates back to the time of his stay.
Azerbaijan as part of the USSR
After the October Revolution, centrifugal tendencies were outlined in various regions of the former Russian Empire. In May 1918, the independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was formed. But the young state could not withstand the fight against the Bolsheviks, including due to internal contradictions. It was liquidated in 1920.
The Bolsheviks created the Azerbaijan SSR. Initially, it was part of the Transcaucasian Federation, but since 1936 it has become a fully equal subject of the USSR. The capital of this state formation was the city of Baku. During this period, other cities of Azerbaijan also developed intensively.
But in 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed. In connection with this event, the Azerbaijan SSR ceased to exist.
Modern Azerbaijan
The independent state became known as the Republic of Azerbaijan. The first president of Azerbaijan - Ayaz Mutalibov, formerly first Secretary of the Republican Committee of the Communist Party. After him, Heydar Aliyev also occupied the post of head of state. At present, the President of Azerbaijan is the son of the latter.He took office in 2003.
The most acute problem in modern Azerbaijan is the Karabakh conflict, which began at the end of the existence of the USSR. During the bloody confrontation between the government troops of Azerbaijan and the residents of Karabakh, with the support of Armenia, the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh was formed. Azerbaijan considers this territory to be its own, therefore, the conflict is constantly renewed.
At the same time, one cannot fail to note the successes of Azerbaijan in building an independent state. If in the future these successes are developed, then the prosperity of the country will become a natural result of the common efforts of the government and the people.