A-PDFAlways Split DEMO topical : Purchase from www.A-PDF.com to remove the watermark Rahman MUSTAFAYEV Doctor of History From Imperial Province to Parliamentary Republic (February 1917-May 1918) DUriNG THE last Years THE HistorY of OUR INdepeNdeNT First RepUBlic – THE DEMocratic RepUBlic of AZerBaiJAN (DRA) BecaME A SUBJect of atteNtioN of HistoriaNS AND political scieNtists, Not ONLY froM OUR coUNtrY BUT also BEYOND its Borders. ith regards to this, it should ideological bias, to research into the and succession, is considered as dif- be noted that the con- history of our country in general and ferent stages of a complicated and Wtribution to the work of of the DRA in particular. The signifi- contradictory, but at the same time comprehensive study of the DRA cance of this order is not limited only unified, evolution of the Azerbaijani heritage of the President of the Re- to providing access for scientists to statehood which appeared in the 9th public of Azerbaijan and national unpublished material and allowing century BC. The next display of inter- leader Heydar Aliyev is important the classification of already known est in and respectful treatment of from a scientific and political point archive documents. This order also the history of the DRA is the law On of view. The order on the Celebration has important political significance. the 90th Anniversary of the Democratic of 80 Years of the Democratic Republic For the first time the history of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the current of Azerbaijan, signed by him on 30 First (1918-1920), Second (1920- President of the Democratic Repub- January 1998, became an important 1991) and current, Third (from 1991) lic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, from step on the road to a truly scientific Republics of Azerbaijan, with their 15 February 2008. approach, free from political and continuous historical connection The victory of the February Bour- 4 www.irs-az.com Session of the Council of Ministers of the DRA geois Democratic Revolution of The founding congress of the vat Party, which took place in 1917 in the Russian Empire signifi- Turkic Party of Federalists, which November 1917, confirmed the cantly hastened the process of de- later, on 3 July, joined with the orientation of the Azerbaijani velopment of national movements Musavat Party, took place on 15 political leaders for the creation and political construction in the April 1917 in Ganja. The goal of the of national territorial autonomy South Caucasus. The Special Trans- federalists was the attainment of a within the Federative Russian caucasian Committee (Ozakom) was territorially autonomous Azerbaijan Republic and their support for established in Tbilisi on 22 March within the frame of a democratic the idea of calling for an All-Rus- 1917. The Baku Provisional Executive and federal Russian republic. This sian Founding Congress, during Committee, which included repre- principle was upheld by the lead- which the main issues of the po- sentatives of city self-government, ers of the Azerbaijani movement – litical system were supposed to the Council of Workers’ Deputies Mammed Amin Rasulzade, Alimar- be resolved. and trade unions, was established dan-bey Topchubashev and Fatali After the Bolshevik October Mili- at the same time in Baku. A National Khan Khoyski – not only on a re- tary Revolution in 1917 in Petrograd, Bureau of Provisional Committee of gional but also an All-Russian level. the leading national powers of the the Board of the Baku Muslim Public On the whole, during the sum- South Caucasus (the Mensheviks, Organisations was elected on 9 April mer and autumn of 1917 the pro- Musavatists and the Dashnakt- 1917 in a meeting of the Baku Mus- cess of consolidation of the All-na- sakans) felt the treat to their princi- lim intelligentsia, chaired by Fatali tional political powers of the Azer- pal desires and their representatives Khan Khoyski. In the beginning of baijanis of the South Caucasus was came together on 24 November of September of the same year it was completed under the leadership the same year in Tbilisi and declared transformed into the Central Trans- of the Musavats. This party won re- their refusal to recognise the gov- cucasian National Board of Muslims, election to the Baku Soviet of Work- ernment of the Petrograd Soviet which brought together the leading ers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies in the au- of People’s Commissar, headed by political powers of the Muslims of tumn. V. I. Lenin, and they decided to es- the South Caucasus. The first congress of the Musa- tablish an independent territorial www.irs-az.com 5 Always topical character of sharp political ri- valry between representatives of the three main ethnic groups of the region – Azerbaijanis, Arme- nians and Georgians. Despite the different programmes and political platforms, the Azerbaijani political groups stood up together in the majority issues for the interest of the people they represented. The diverging political interests of the leading factions resulted in insurmountable difficulties for the activities of the Seim and led to the South Caucasian Government, formed in March and April, becom- ing unable to function. Nonethe- less, the Seim managed to provide a smooth and relatively bloodless government. Following this, on 28 deputies from South Caucasus were transition from post-imperial chaos, November, Ozakom failed to mani- elected to the congress, including anarchy and civil war to a two-year fest and was transformed into the 12 Muslims. However, the Found- period of independent existence Transcaucasian Commissariat, ing Congress was dispersed on the of the South Caucasian Republics. which became the supreme organ day of its opening. Following it, the The main factor which stimulated of territorial power. Four Azerbaijani deputies elected from the South the growth of conflict between the commissars, F. Khoyski, M. Jafarov, K. Caucasus came to the decision to leading national political powers of Khasmammadov and K. Malik-Asla- establish a local government – the the South Caucasus was the peace nov formed part of the Trancauca- Transcaucasian Seim, before calling agreement between Soviet Rus- sian Commissariat, which was head- for a new Founding Congress. It was sia and Germany, Austro-Hungary, ed by the Georgian Social Democrat formed on 14 February 1918, from Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire E. Gegechkori. This commissariat, deputies elected to the Founding signed in Brest-Litovsk on 3 March like previous territorial structures, Congress and representatives of 1918. Its fourth article had direct was considered by its members as other parties of the south Cauca- relation to the South Caucasus – in a temporary organ in place until an sus (the Bolsheviks refused to par- accordance with which the Russian- All-Russian Founding Congress was ticipate in the Seim). 125 persons, Ottoman border in the sub-region, called. The elections to the Found- including 32 Georgian Mensheviks, which had existed until the Russian- ing Congress took place on 26-28 30 Musavats and unaffiliated demo- Ottoman war of 1877-1878, was re- November 1917 and 15 Transcau- crats from the attached block, 27 established. Together with it, in the casian parties participated in them. Dashnaks, 7 representatives from beginning of February 1918, the The elections secured the positions the Muslim Socialist block, 3 from Third Ottoman Army commanded of the three leading national par- Ittikhad and 4 from the Gummet So- by Wehib Pasha begun offensives in ties, stating the populations’ rejec- cial Democratic Party were elected a few directions simultaneously, the tion of Bolshevism. The exception to the Seim, which replaced the main aim of which was the rescue of was Baku, where the Bolsheviks led Transcaucasian Commissariat. 44 thousands of Muslims from destruc- by the Baku Soviet and with S. Shay- deputies formed the Muslim faction tion on the territory occupied by myan as head, received 20% of the of the Transcaucasian Seim. Armenians. The frontline in Erzinjan- votes of the population and more Despite the Seim being Van was held by an Armenian corps than 70% of the votes of the soldiers formed on party principles, its formed in December 1917 – Janu- of the Baku garrison. As a result, 34 activity immediately had the ary 1918. The Armenian historian 6 www.irs-az.com A. O. Arutonian gives information in his monograph The Caucasian Front. 1914-1917 ‘that by October 1915 6 brigades with 5,000 members in total was formed’. In this regard it should be remembered that item 5 of the first article of the Soviet-Otto- man Supplementary Agreement to the Brest-Litovsk Peace Agreement foresaw that Soviet Russia ‘is obliged to demobilise and disband Arme- nian forces which consisted of Turk- ish and Russian subjects who were both in Russia and occupied Turkish Provinces and once and for all to dismiss the aforementioned forces’. Opening of the Azerbaijani Parliament on 7 December 1918 But the Bolshevik authorities did not hurry to disband the Armenian people, Georgians – 121,113, Rus- only Turks who entered the territory brigades. A decree by I. Stalin of the sian – 42,712, Tatars – 1,314, Jews of Azerbaijan rendered assistance to People’s Commissariat for Nationali- – 3,221, Germans – 2,413 and other local authorities in forming military ties, from 16 March 1918 to all revo- nationalities – 11,470 people.’ As forces.’ lutionary committees, headquarters we see, most of those drafted and The most important factor of and Soviet organisations informed fighting on the Caucasus front were regional instability and as a conse- that ‘the Armenian revolutionary or- Armenians and Georgians – the ra- quence, the crisis in the activity of ganisations have a right to free for- tio of those drafted was almost 100 the Seim was Armenian-Azerbaijani mation of Armenian voluntary bri- Armenians and Georgians per Azer- confrontation growing with every gades and taxation of the Armenian baijani.