Azerbaijan is one of the most ancient centers human civilization, is an ethnic territory and historical homeland Azerbaijanis, who were originally the original population of this country. In the north, along the main Caucasus ridge, is the border of Azerbaijan with Russia. From the east it is washed by the Caspian Sea, and in the northwest and southwest, respectively, it neighbors Georgia and Armenia. Most of the territory of Azerbaijan is a vast plain bordered by mountain ranges, gradually turning into lowlands.
Location of Azerbaijan in climatic zone, represented by 9 of 11 climate zones globe from subtropics to alpine meadows, the presence of fertile lands, many minerals, rich and diverse plant and animal world- all this was conducive to the development of the economy, social and cultural life. The inhabitants of the ancient Azerbaijani land, in a stubborn struggle for existence, gradually moved to clan system, formed tribes, and then states, and finally formed into a nationality and an independent nation.
Azerbaijan, as part of the South Caucasus (“Transcaucasia”), a region with rich nature and healing climatic conditions, is historically considered the cradle of civilization. Already in the Stone Age (Paleolithic) people lived here. This is evidenced by archaeological finds in the Azykh cave in Garabagh. Stone tools were discovered there, which indicate that the people who inhabited these territories made arrowheads, knives, and axes for processing wood and cutting up carcasses. In addition, a Neanderthal jaw was discovered in the Azykh cave. The remains of ancient settlements were found near Mount Killikdag, near Khanlar. The main occupation of primitive people was hunting, which provided people with meat and leather for making clothes. But even then there was cattle breeding on the territory of Azerbaijan, and along the banks of the rivers people grew barley and wheat. 10 thousand years ago Unknown artist, who lived in Gobustan, not far from Baku, left us drawings about the life of people of that time.
Later, in this territory, people began to smelt copper arrowheads, household items, and jewelry, developing copper ore, which was located in the territory of present-day Nagorno-Karabakh, Gadabay, and Dashkesan regions. Copper objects were discovered on the Kultepe hill in Nakhichevan. In the second millennium BC. e. ( bronze age) people living on the territory of today's Azerbaijan began to use bronze products in their households - knives, axes, daggers, swords. Such items were discovered in the regions of Khojaly, Gadabay, Dashkesan, Mingachevir, Shamkhor, etc. In the 4th millennium BC. e. tools began to be made of iron, which improved the quality of land cultivation. All this led to property inequality among the population, the primitive communal system fell into decay, which was replaced by new social relations. At the end of the 3rd millennium BC. e. In the southern region of modern Azerbaijan, the Lullubey and Kutian tribes were formed. At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e. In the area of Lake Urmia lived the Mannaeans, who were mentioned in Assyrian cuneiform writings in the 9th century. BC e. At the same time, the state of Manna arose here, in the 7th century. BC e. - State of Media. Tribes of the Cadusians, Caspians, and Albanians also lived here. In the same area there was slave state Assyria. Because of the Greater Caucasus, tribes of Cimmerians and Scythians invaded here. So, as a result of communication, development and union of tribes into unions, a state formation began to be created. By the end of the 7th century. BC e. Manna became dependent on the more powerful state of the Medes, which included the southern regions of present-day Azerbaijan. After Little Media was captured by King Cyrus II, it became part of the ancient Persian Achaemenid state. In 331, the troops of Alexander the Great defeated the Persians. Lesser Media began to be called Atropatena (“country of the keepers of fire”). The main religion in the country was the worship of fire - Zoroastrianism. Atropatene was a country with developed economy and cultural life, the country had writing, monetary relations, and crafts developed, especially wool weaving. This state lasted until 150 AD. e., the territory of which coincided with the borders of today's Southern Azerbaijan. The capital of the kings of Atropatene was the city of Ghazaka.
In the 1st century BC. e. – 1st century AD e. The state of Albania Caucasus emerges. Albanians, Legis, and Udins lived here. Christianity was adopted in Albania, churches were erected throughout the country, many have survived to this day. The country had writing. The Albanian alphabet consisted of 52 letters. These lands were exceptionally fertile, and it was believed that these lands were better irrigated than the lands of Babylon and Egypt. Grapes, pomegranates, almonds and walnuts were grown here, the population was engaged in cattle breeding, artisans made products from bronze, iron, clay, glass, the remains of which were discovered during excavations in Mingachevir. The capital of Albania was the city of Kabala, the ruins of which are located in the Kutkashen region of the republic. In the 1st century BC. e., in 66, the troops of the Roman commander Gnaeus Pompey moved to Albania. A bloody battle took place on the banks of the Kura, which ended in the defeat of the Albanians.
At the beginning of our era, the country faced one of the most difficult trials in its history - in the 3rd century, Azerbaijan was occupied by the Iranian Sassanid Empire, and in the 7th century by the Arab Caliphate. The occupiers resettled a large population of Iranian and Arab origin into the country.
In the first centuries of our era, the Turkish ethnic groups, which made up the bulk of the country's population and were from a military-political point of view more organized and strong, played vital role in the process of formation one people. Among the Turkish ethnic groups, Turkish Oguzes predominated.
Since the first centuries AD, the Turkish language has also been the main means of communication between small peoples(national minorities) and ethnic groups who lived on the territory of Azerbaijan, and also played a connecting role between the north and south. At that time, this factor played a very important role in the formation of a single people, since in the period being described there was still no single religious worldview - monotheism, covering the entire territory of Azerbaijan. The worship of Tanra - the main god of the ancient Turks - tanryism - has not yet oppressed others enough religious worldviews and did not completely displace them. There was also Zarduism, fire worship, worship of the Sun, Moon, sky, stars, and so on. In the north of the country, in some parts of Albania, especially in its western regions, Christianity spread. However, the independent Albanian church operated in conditions of intense rivalry with neighboring Christian concessions.
With the adoption of the Islamic religion in the 7th century, a radical change occurred in the historical predestination of Azerbaijan. The Islamic religion gave a strong impetus to the formation of a single people and its language, and played a decisive role in accelerating this process.
The existence of a single religion between Turkic and non-Turkic ethnic groups throughout the territory of their distribution in Azerbaijan was the reason for the formation of common customs, the expansion of family relations between them, and their interaction.
The Islamic religion united under a single Turkic-Islamic banner all the Turkic and non-Turkic ethnic groups that accepted it, the entire Greater Caucasus and opposed it Byzantine Empire and to the Georgian and Armenian feudal lords under her tutelage, who tried to subjugate them to Christianity. Since the middle of the 9th century, the traditions of the ancient statehood of Azerbaijan have been revived again.
A new political upsurge began in Azerbaijan: on the lands of Azerbaijan, where Islam was widespread, the states of the Sajids, Shirvanshahs, Salarids, Ravvadids and Shaddadids were created. As a result of the creation of independent states, there was a revival in all areas of political, economic and cultural life. The Renaissance era began in Azerbaijani history.
The creation of their own states (Sajids, Shirvanshahs, Salarids, Ravvadids, Sheddadids, Sheki rule) after enslavement by the Sassanids and Arabs for about 600 years, as well as the transformation of Islam throughout the country into a single state religion, played an important role in ethnic development of the Azerbaijani people, in the formation of their culture.
At the same time, at that historical period, when individual feudal dynasties often succeeded each other, the Islamic religion played a progressive role in uniting the entire Azerbaijani population - both the various Turkic tribes that played a major role in the formation of our people, and the non-Turkic ethnic groups that mixed with them, in the form of a single force against foreign invaders.
After the fall of the Arab Caliphate, starting from the middle of the 9th century, the role of Turkic-Islamic states increased, both in the Caucasus and throughout the Near and Middle East.
The states ruled by the Sajids, Shirvanshahs, Salarids, Ravvadids, Sheddadids, Sheki rulers, Seljuks, Eldaniz, Mongols, Elkhanid-Khilakuds, Timurids, Ottomanids, Garagoyunids, Aggoyunids, Safavids, Afshanids, Gajars and other Turkic-Islamic dynasties left deep trace in history statehood not only of Azerbaijan, but also of the entire Near and Middle East.
From the XV-XVIII centuries and in the subsequent period, the culture of Azerbaijan's statehood was further enriched. During this period, the empires of Garagoyunlu, Aggoyunlu, Safavids, Afshars and Gajars were ruled directly by Azerbaijani dynasties.
This important factor had positive influence on the internal and international relations of Azerbaijan, expanded the sphere of military-political influence of our country and people, the sphere of use of the Azerbaijani language, and created favorable conditions for even greater moral and material development of the Azerbaijani people.
During the period described, along with the fact that the Azerbaijani states played an important role in international relations and the military-political life of the Near and Middle East, they took a very active part in Europe-East relations.
During the reign of the great statesman of Azerbaijan Uzun Hasan (1468-1478), the Aggoyunlu Empire turned into a powerful military-political factor throughout the Near and Middle East.
The culture of Azerbaijani statehood has received more greater development. Uzun Hasan introduced a policy of creating a powerful, centralized state, covering all lands of Azerbaijan. For this purpose, a special “Legislation” was published. At the direction of the great ruler he was transferred to Azerbaijan language“Korani-Kerim”, an outstanding scientist of his time, Abu-Bakr al-Tehrani, was entrusted with writing the Oguzname under the name “Kitabi-Diyarbekname”.
At the end of XV - early XVI centuries, Azerbaijani statehood entered into new stage its historical development. The grandson of Uzun Hasan, the outstanding statesman Shah Ismail Khatai (1501-1524), completed the work begun by his grandfather and managed to unite under his leadership all the northern and southern lands Azerbaijan.
A single Safavid state was formed, the capital of which was Tabriz. During the reign of the Safavids, the culture of Azerbaijani government increased even more. Azerbaijani language has become state language.
As a result of successful reforms of internal and foreign policy carried out by Shahs Ismail, Tahmasib, Abbas and other Safavid rulers, the Safavid state turned into one of the most powerful empires Near and Middle East.
The outstanding Azerbaijani commander Nadir Shah Afshar (1736-1747), who came to power after the fall of the Safavid state, further expanded the borders of the former Safavid empire. This great ruler of Azerbaijan, a native of the Afshar-Turkic tribe, conquered Northern India, including Delhi, in 1739. However, the plans of the great ruler to create a powerful, centralized state in this territory did not materialize. After the death of Nadir Shah, the wide-territorial empire he ruled fell.
Local states appeared on the soil of Azerbaijan, which, even during the life of Nadir Shah, made attempts to rise up to fight for their freedom and independence. Thus, in the second half of the 18th century, Azerbaijan broke up into small states - khanates and sultanates.
IN late XVIII century, the Gajars (1796-1925), an Azerbaijani dynasty, came to power in Iran. The Gajars again began to implement the policy begun by their great-grandfathers of subordinating the Garagoyun, Aggoyun, Safavid and all other territories that were under the rule of Nadir Shah, including the Azerbaijani khanates, to centralized rule.
Thus began the era of many years of wars between the Gajars and Russia, which was trying to seize the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan has become a springboard bloody wars two great states.
Based on the Gulustan (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828) treaties, Azerbaijan was divided between two empires: Northern Azerbaijan was annexed to Russia, and Southern Azerbaijan was annexed to the Gajar-ruled Iranian Shah. Thus, in the subsequent history of Azerbaijan, new concepts appeared: “Northern (or Russian) Azerbaijan” and “Southern (or Iranian) Azerbaijan”.
To create support for itself in the South Caucasus, Russia began to massively resettle the captured Azerbaijani lands, in particular, the mountainous regions of Karabakh, the territories of the former Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates, Armenian population from neighboring regions. On the lands of Western Azerbaijan - the former territories of the Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates, bordering Turkey, the so-called "Armenian region" was urgently created and for a specific purpose. This is how the foundation for creating the future was laid on the soil of Azerbaijan Armenian state.
In addition, in 1836 Russia liquidated the independent Albanian Christian Church and handed it over to the Armenian Gregorian Church. Thus, even more favorable conditions were created for the Gregorianization and Armenianization of Christian Albanians, who are the oldest population Azerbaijan. The foundation was laid for new territorial claims of Armenians against Azerbaijanis. Not satisfied with all this, royal Russia resorted to even more dirty politics: having armed the Armenians, it raised them up against the Turkic-Muslim population, which resulted in massacres of Azerbaijanis in almost the entire territory occupied by the Russians. Thus began the era of genocide of Azerbaijanis and the entire Turkic-Muslim people of the South Caucasus.
The struggle for freedom in Northern Azerbaijan ended in unprecedented tragedies. In March 1918, the Dashnak-Bolshevik government of S. Shaumyan, which seized power, carried out a ruthless genocide against the Azerbaijani people. Brotherly Türkiye extended a helping hand to Azerbaijan and saved the Azerbaijani population from the wholesale massacre carried out by the Armenians. Won liberation movement and on May 28, 1918, the first democratic republic in the East was created in Northern Azerbaijan - the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, being the first parliamentary republic in the history of Azerbaijan, was, at the same time, an example of a democratic, legal and world state in the entire East, including the Turkic-Islamic world.
During the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the history of parliament was divided into two periods. The first period lasted from May 28, 1918 to November 19, 1918. During these 6 months, the first parliament in Azerbaijan - the Azerbaijan National Council, consisting of 44 Muslim-Turkic representatives, made extremely important historical decisions. On May 28, 1918, the Parliament declared the Independence of Azerbaijan, took over the issues of government and adopted the historic Declaration of Independence. The second period in the history of the parliament of Azerbaijan lasted 17 months - from December 7, 1918 to April 27, 1920. During this period, among others, it is necessary to note the Law on the Establishment of the Baku City Council adopted by the Parliament on September 1, 1919 State University. The opening of the national university was a very important service of the leaders of the Republic to their native people. Although the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic subsequently fell, the Baku State University played a vital role in implementing its ideas and in achieving a new level of independence for our people.
In general, during the existence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, 155 parliamentary meetings were held, of which 10 took place during the period of the Azerbaijan National Council (May 27 - November 19, 1918), and 145 during the period of the Azerbaijan Parliament (December 19, 1918 - April 27, 1920).
270 bills were submitted for discussion in Parliament, of which about 230 were adopted. Laws were discussed in a heated and business-like exchange of opinions and were rarely adopted before the third reading.
Despite the fact that the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic existed for only 23 months, it proved that even the most brutal regimes of colonies and repression are not able to destroy the ideals of freedom and traditions of independent statehood of the Azerbaijani people.
As a result of military aggression Soviet Russia The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic has fallen. The independence of Azerbaijani statehood in Northern Azerbaijan has come to an end. On April 28, 1920, the creation of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR) was announced on the territory of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
Immediately after the Soviet occupation, the process of destroying the system of independent government created during the existence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic began. The "Red Terror" reigned throughout the country. Anyone who could resist the strengthening of the Bolshevik regime was immediately destroyed as an “enemy of the people,” “counter-revolutionary,” or “saboteur.”
Thus, after the March genocide of 1918, new round genocide of the Azerbaijani people. The difference was that this time the chosen people of the nation were destroyed - outstanding statesmen of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, generals and officers of the National Army, advanced intelligentsia, religious figures, party leaders, politicians, famous scientists. This time the Bolshevik-Dashnak regime deliberately destroyed the entire advanced part of the people in order to leave the people without leaders. In reality, this genocide was even more terrible than the one carried out in March 1918.
The convening of the first Congress of Soviets of the Azerbaijan SSR on March 6, 1921 completed the Sovietization of Northern Azerbaijan. On May 19 of the same year, the first Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR was adopted.
After the Azerbaijani people lost their independent government, the plunder of their wealth began. Private ownership of land was abolished. Everyone was nationalized natural resources countries, or rather, they began to be considered state property. In particular, to manage the oil industry, the Azerbaijan Oil Committee was created, and the management of this committee was entrusted to A.P. Serebrovsky, sent to Baku personally by V.I. Lenin. Thus, Lenin, who sent on March 17, 1920 to the Military Revolutionary Council Caucasian Front a telegram that said: “It is extremely important for us to conquer Baku” and gave the order to capture Northern Azerbaijan, achieved his dream - Baku oil passed into the hands of Soviet Russia.
In the 30s, large-scale repressions were carried out against the entire Azerbaijani people. In 1937 alone, 29 thousand people were subjected to repression. And all of them were the most worthy sons of Azerbaijan. During this period, the Azerbaijani people lost tens and hundreds of their thinkers and intellectuals such as Huseyn Javid, Mikail Mushfig, Ahmed Javad, Salman Mumtaz, Ali Nazmi, Taghi Shahbazi and others. The intellectual potential of the people, its best representatives, was destroyed. The Azerbaijani people could not recover from this terrible blow over the next decades.
The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 united the peoples of the Soviet Union against fascism. German troops rushed to the rich deposits of Baku oil, but Azerbaijan, thanks to the heroism of the Soviet soldier, was not captured by the Nazis. The call “Everything for the front, everything for victory!” - turned the city of Baku into an arsenal Soviet army, more than a hundred types of ammunition were produced in the city, and Baku oil was the main fuel for the “engines” of the war. The Great Patriotic War affected every Soviet family. Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis took part in the war, many of them were awarded orders and medals, and 114 Azerbaijani soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
However, already in 1948-1953, a new stage of mass expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their ancient homeland - Western Azerbaijan (the so-called territory of the Armenian SSR) began. The Armenians, supported and encouraged by the Russians, became even more entrenched in the lands of Western Azerbaijan. They were provided with a numerical advantage in this territory. Despite the great successes achieved as a result of the creative activities of the Azerbaijani people, for a number of objective and subjective reasons, negative trends began to appear in many areas of the Azerbaijani economy - both in industry and in agriculture.
In 1970-1985, during a historically short time, hundreds of plants, factories, and industries were created on the territory of the Republic. 213 large industrial enterprises were built and started working. In many industries, Azerbaijan occupied leading positions in the USSR. 350 types of products produced in Azerbaijan were exported to 65 countries. Huge historical meaning all these creative works. This, in fact, was the entry of the Azerbaijani people into a new stage in the rise of the liberation movement in the 70s of the 20th century.
The last one, on this moment, the stage in the history of statehood of Azerbaijan that began on the eve of the fall of the USSR on October 18, 1991 with the adoption of the Constitution Act “On State Independence of the Azerbaijan Republic” continues successfully to this day.
Throughout their history, the Azerbaijani states went through periods of rise and decline, were subjected to internal disintegration and external occupation. But, despite this, Azerbaijan has always maintained peaceful, calm relations with its neighbors.
In 1988, separatist terrorist groups of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, together with the armed forces of Armenia, began to carry out military operations with the aim of appropriating Nagorno-Karabakh. They were joined by units of the USSR armed forces located in Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. At the beginning, the places of residence of Azerbaijanis in Karabakh were seized. On January 19, 1992, Kerkijahan was captured, and on February 10, the villages of Malybeyli and Gushchular. The peaceful unarmed population was subjected to forcible eviction. The blockade of Khojaly and Shushi has narrowed. In mid-February, Armenian and Soviet military units captured the village of Garadaghly. On the night of February 25-26, the most tragic event V modern history Azerbaijan. Armenian military formations, together with soldiers of the 366th motorized rifle regiment of Russia, committed a terrible massacre of the Azerbaijani civilian population in the village of Khojaly.
Modern Azerbaijan is a multinational state. The Republic of Azerbaijan is a state with market economy. The main population is Azerbaijanis, the professed religion is Islam. Since ancient times in the traditions of the people of Azerbaijan main feature there was hospitality, respect for elders, help to the weak, peacefulness and tolerance.
State capital – the beautiful city of Baku, a city with developed infrastructure, with a beautiful promenade on the seashore, with hotels, an abundance of restaurants with exquisite dishes of world-famous Azerbaijani cuisine and dishes from the cuisine of the world, with an abundance of offers for recreation and entertainment, with many theaters, art galleries, museums, parks. The parks of Baku are splashed with a scattering of diamonds, water jets of fountains, the fresh greenery of trees shelters from the summer sun.
The historical lands of Azerbaijan, surrounded from the north by the Great Caucasus mountains, from the west - mountain ranges Alagöz, which includes the basin of Lake Goyca and Eastern Anadolu, from the east - the Caspian Sea, and from the south - the expanses of Sultaniat-Zanjan-Hamadan, is one of the centers ancient culture, which stood at the origins of modern civilization.
In this territory - historical lands Azerbaijan - the Azerbaijani people have created a rich and unique culture and traditions of statehood.
The historical pronunciation of the name "Azerbaijan" has varied. Since ancient times, from the origins of civilization, this name has sounded like Andirpatian, Atropatena, Adirbijan, Azirbijan and, finally, Azerbaijan.
Writing in modern form- "Azerbaijan", based on ancient historical, anthropological, ethnographic and written sources.
Items discovered during archaeological excavations made it possible to study the history of life and culture of Azerbaijan. Based on ethnographic materials collected during the expeditions, traditions, everyday and moral culture, ancient forms of government, family relationships, etc. were studied.
As a result of archaeological research carried out on the territory of Azerbaijan, valuable samples related to the everyday life and cultural objects of the first inhabitants who inhabited it were discovered, which served as the key to including the territory of our Republic in the list of territories where the formation of man took place.
The most ancient archaeological and paleontological materials have been found on the territory of Azerbaijan, confirming the beginning of life here by primitive people 1.7-1.8 million years ago.
The territory of Azerbaijan is extremely rich in archaeological monuments, confirming that this country is one of the most ancient places of human settlement in the world.
Archaeological finds discovered in the caves of Azykh, Taglar, Damdzhily, Dashsalakhly, Gazma (Nakhichevan) and other ancient monuments, including the jaw of the Azykh man (Azykhanthropus) - an ancient man of the Acheulian period who lived here 300-400 thousand years ago, indicate that Azerbaijan to the territories where the formation of primitive people took place.
Thanks to this ancient find, the territory of Azerbaijan is included in the map “The Most Ancient Inhabitants of Europe.” The Azerbaijani people, at the same time, are one of the peoples with the traditions of ancient statehood. The history of Azerbaijan's statehood dates back approximately 5 thousand years.
The first state formations or ethnopolitical associations on the territory of Azerbaijan were created starting from the end of the 4th century. beginning of III millennium BC in the Urmia basin. The ancient Azerbaijani states that appeared here played an important role in the military-political history of the entire region. It was during this period in the history of Azerbaijan that there was a close relationship between the ancient states of Sumer, Akkard and Ashur (Assyria), located in the Dejla and Ferat valleys, which left a deep mark on world history, as well as the state of Hittite, located in Asia Minor.
In the 1st millennium BC - the beginning of the 1st millennium AD, there were such state entities such as Manna, Iskim, Skit, Scythian and such strong states as Albania and Atropatena. These states played a major role in improving the culture of public administration, in the history of the country's economic culture, as well as in the process of forming a unified people.
At the beginning of our era, the country faced one of the most difficult trials in its history - in the 3rd century, Azerbaijan was occupied by the Iranian Sassanid Empire, and in the 7th century by the Arab Caliphate. The occupiers resettled a large population of Iranian and Arab origin into the country.
In the first centuries of our era, Turkish ethnic groups, which made up the bulk of the country's population and were more organized and strong from a military-political point of view, played a crucial role in the process of forming a single people. Among the Turkish ethnic groups, Turkish Oguzes predominated.
Since the first centuries of our era, the Turkish language has also been the main means of communication between small peoples (minorities) and ethnic groups living on the territory of Azerbaijan, and also played a connecting role between the north and south. At that time, this factor played a very important role in the formation of a single people, since in the period being described there was still no single religious worldview - monotheism, covering the entire territory of Azerbaijan. The worship of Tanra - the main god of the ancient Turks - tanryism - has not yet sufficiently oppressed other religious worldviews and has not completely supplanted them. There was also Zarduism, fire worship, worship of the Sun, Moon, sky, stars, and so on. In the north of the country, in some parts of Albania, especially in its western regions, Christianity spread. However, the independent Albanian church operated in conditions of intense rivalry with neighboring Christian concessions.
With the adoption of the Islamic religion in the 7th century, a radical change occurred in the historical predestination of Azerbaijan. The Islamic religion gave a strong impetus to the formation of a single people and its language, and played a decisive role in accelerating this process.
The existence of a single religion between Turkic and non-Turkic ethnic groups throughout the territory of their distribution in Azerbaijan was the reason for the formation of common customs, the expansion of family relations between them, and their interaction.
The Islamic religion united under a single Turkic-Islamic banner all the Turkic and non-Turkic ethnic groups that accepted it, the entire Greater Caucasus, and contrasted it with the Byzantine Empire and the Georgian and Armenian feudal lords under its tutelage, who tried to subjugate them to Christianity. Since the middle of the 9th century, the traditions of the ancient statehood of Azerbaijan have been revived again.
A new political upsurge began in Azerbaijan: on the lands of Azerbaijan, where Islam was widespread, the states of the Sajids, Shirvanshahs, Salarids, Ravvadids and Shaddadids were created. As a result of the creation of independent states, there was a revival in all areas of political, economic and cultural life. The Renaissance era began in Azerbaijani history.
The creation of their own states (Sajids, Shirvanshahs, Salarids, Ravvadids, Sheddadids, Sheki rule) after enslavement by the Sassanids and Arabs for about 600 years, as well as the transformation of Islam throughout the country into a single state religion, played an important role in the ethnic development of the Azerbaijani people, in the formation of its culture.
At the same time, during that historical period, when individual feudal dynasties often replaced each other, the Islamic religion played a progressive role in uniting the entire Azerbaijani population - both the various Turkic tribes that played the main role in the formation of our people, and the non-Turkic ethnic groups that mixed with them , in the form of a united force against foreign invaders.
After the fall of the Arab Caliphate, starting from the middle of the 9th century, the role of Turkic-Islamic states increased, both in the Caucasus and throughout the Near and Middle East.
The states ruled by the Sajids, Shirvanshahs, Salarids, Ravvadids, Sheddadids, Sheki rulers, Seljuks, Eldaniz, Mongols, Elkhanid-Khilakuds, Timurids, Ottomanids, Garagoyunids, Aggoyunids, Safavids, Afshanids, Gajars and other Turkic-Islamic dynasties left deep trace in history statehood not only of Azerbaijan, but also of the entire Near and Middle East.
From the XV-XVIII centuries and in the subsequent period, the culture of Azerbaijan's statehood was further enriched. During this period, the empires of Garagoyunlu, Aggoyunlu, Safavids, Afshars and Gajars were ruled directly by Azerbaijani dynasties.
This important factor had a positive impact on the internal and international relations of Azerbaijan, expanded the sphere of military-political influence of our country and people, the sphere of use of the Azerbaijani language, and created favorable conditions for even greater moral and material development of the Azerbaijani people.
During the period described, along with the fact that the Azerbaijani states played an important role in international relations and the military-political life of the Near and Middle East, they took a very active part in Europe-East relations.
During the reign of the great statesman of Azerbaijan Uzun Hasan (1468-1478), the Aggoyunlu Empire turned into a powerful military-political factor throughout the Near and Middle East.
The culture of Azerbaijani statehood has received even greater development. Uzun Hasan introduced the policy of creating a powerful, centralized state covering all the lands of Azerbaijan. For this purpose, a special “Legislation” was published. At the direction of the great ruler, the “Korani-Kerim” was translated into Azerbaijani, and the outstanding scientist of his time, Abu-Bakr al-Tehrani, was entrusted with writing the Oguzname under the name “Kitabi-Diyarbekname”.
At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries, Azerbaijani statehood entered a new stage of its historical development. The grandson of Uzun Hasan, the outstanding statesman Shah Ismail Khatai (1501-1524), completed the work begun by his grandfather and managed to unite all the northern and southern lands of Azerbaijan under his leadership.
A single Safavid state was formed, the capital of which was Tabriz. During the reign of the Safavids, the culture of Azerbaijani government grew even more. The Azerbaijani language became the state language.
As a result of successful reforms of domestic and foreign policy carried out by Shahs Ismail, Tahmasib, Abbas and other Safavid rulers, the Safavid state turned into one of the most powerful empires in the Near and Middle East.
The outstanding Azerbaijani commander Nadir Shah Afshar (1736-1747), who came to power after the fall of the Safavid state, further expanded the borders of the former Safavid empire. This great ruler of Azerbaijan, a native of the Afshar-Turkic tribe, conquered Northern India, including Delhi, in 1739. However, the plans of the great ruler to create a powerful, centralized state in this territory did not materialize. After the death of Nadir Shah, the wide-territorial empire he ruled fell.
Local states appeared on the soil of Azerbaijan, which, even during the life of Nadir Shah, made attempts to rise up to fight for their freedom and independence. Thus, in the second half of the 18th century, Azerbaijan broke up into small states - khanates and sultanates.
At the end of the 18th century, the Gajars (1796-1925), an Azerbaijani dynasty, came to power in Iran. The Gajars again began to implement the policy begun by their great-grandfathers of subordinating the Garagoyun, Aggoyun, Safavid and all other territories that were under the rule of Nadir Shah, including the Azerbaijani khanates, to centralized rule.
Thus began the era of many years of wars between the Gajars and Russia, which was trying to seize the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan has become a springboard for bloody wars between two great states.
Based on the Gulustan (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828) treaties, Azerbaijan was divided between two empires: Northern Azerbaijan was annexed to Russia, and Southern Azerbaijan was annexed to the Gajar-ruled Iranian Shah. Thus, in the subsequent history of Azerbaijan, new concepts appeared: “Northern (or Russian) Azerbaijan” and “Southern (or Iranian) Azerbaijan”.
To create support for itself in the South Caucasus, Russia began to massively resettle the Armenian population from neighboring regions to the occupied Azerbaijani lands, in particular, the mountainous regions of Karabakh, the territories of the former Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates. On the lands of Western Azerbaijan - the former territories of the Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates, bordering Turkey, the so-called "Armenian region" was urgently created and for a specific purpose. This is how the foundation for the creation of the future Armenian state was laid on the soil of Azerbaijan.
In addition, in 1836, Russia liquidated the independent Albanian Christian Church and placed it under the control of the Armenian Gregorian Church. Thus, even more favorable conditions were created for the Gregorianization and Armenianization of Christian Albanians, who are the oldest population of Azerbaijan. The foundation was laid for new territorial claims of Armenians against Azerbaijanis. Not satisfied with all this, Tsarist Russia resorted to an even more dirty policy: having armed the Armenians, it raised them against the Turkic-Muslim population, which resulted in massacres of Azerbaijanis in almost the entire territory occupied by the Russians. Thus began the era of genocide of Azerbaijanis and the entire Turkic-Muslim people of the South Caucasus.
The struggle for freedom in Northern Azerbaijan ended in unprecedented tragedies. In March 1918, the Dashnak-Bolshevik government of S. Shaumyan, which seized power, carried out a ruthless genocide against the Azerbaijani people. Brotherly Türkiye extended a helping hand to Azerbaijan and saved the Azerbaijani population from the wholesale massacre carried out by the Armenians. The liberation movement won and on May 28, 1918, the first democratic republic in the East was created in Northern Azerbaijan - the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, being the first parliamentary republic in the history of Azerbaijan, was, at the same time, an example of a democratic, legal and world state in the entire East, including the Turkic-Islamic world.
During the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the history of parliament was divided into two periods. The first period lasted from May 28, 1918 to November 19, 1918. During these 6 months, the first parliament in Azerbaijan - the Azerbaijan National Council, consisting of 44 Muslim-Turkic representatives, made extremely important historical decisions. On May 28, 1918, the Parliament declared the Independence of Azerbaijan, took over the issues of government and adopted the historic Declaration of Independence. The second period in the history of the parliament of Azerbaijan lasted 17 months - from December 7, 1918 to April 27, 1920. During this period, among others, it is necessary to note the Law on the establishment of the Baku State University adopted by Parliament on September 1, 1919. The opening of the national university was a very important service of the leaders of the Republic to their native people. Although the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic subsequently fell, the Baku State University played a vital role in implementing its ideas and in achieving a new level of independence for our people.
In general, during the existence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, 155 parliamentary meetings were held, of which 10 took place during the period of the Azerbaijan National Council (May 27 - November 19, 1918), and 145 during the period of the Azerbaijan Parliament (December 19, 1918 - April 27, 1920).
270 bills were submitted for discussion in Parliament, of which about 230 were adopted. Laws were discussed in a heated and business-like exchange of opinions and were rarely adopted before the third reading.
Despite the fact that the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic existed for only 23 months, it proved that even the most brutal regimes of colonies and repression are not able to destroy the ideals of freedom and traditions of independent statehood of the Azerbaijani people.
As a result of the military aggression of Soviet Russia, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic fell. The independence of Azerbaijani statehood in Northern Azerbaijan has come to an end. On April 28, 1920, the creation of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR) was announced on the territory of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
Immediately after the Soviet occupation, the process of destroying the system of independent government created during the existence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic began. The "Red Terror" reigned throughout the country. Anyone who could resist the strengthening of the Bolshevik regime was immediately destroyed as an “enemy of the people,” “counter-revolutionary,” or “saboteur.”
Thus, after the March genocide of 1918, a new round of genocide of the Azerbaijani people began. The difference was that this time the chosen people of the nation were destroyed - outstanding statesmen of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, generals and officers of the National Army, advanced intelligentsia, religious figures, party leaders, politicians, famous scientists. This time the Bolshevik-Dashnak regime deliberately destroyed the entire advanced part of the people in order to leave the people without leaders. In reality, this genocide was even more terrible than the one carried out in March 1918.
The convening of the first Congress of Soviets of the Azerbaijan SSR on March 6, 1921 completed the Sovietization of Northern Azerbaijan. On May 19 of the same year, the first Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR was adopted.
After the Azerbaijani people lost their independent government, the plunder of their wealth began. Private ownership of land was abolished. All the country's natural resources were nationalized, or rather, they began to be considered state property. In particular, to manage the oil industry, the Azerbaijan Oil Committee was created, and the management of this committee was entrusted to A.P. Serebrovsky, sent to Baku personally by V.I. Lenin. Thus, Lenin, who sent a telegram on March 17, 1920 to the Military Revolutionary Council of the Caucasian Front, which said: “It is extremely important for us to conquer Baku” and gave the order to capture Northern Azerbaijan, achieved his dream - Baku oil passed into the hands of Soviet Russia.
In the 30s, large-scale repressions were carried out against the entire Azerbaijani people. In 1937 alone, 29 thousand people were subjected to repression. And all of them were the most worthy sons of Azerbaijan. During this period, the Azerbaijani people lost tens and hundreds of their thinkers and intellectuals such as Huseyn Javid, Mikail Mushfig, Ahmed Javad, Salman Mumtaz, Ali Nazmi, Taghi Shahbazi and others. The intellectual potential of the people, its best representatives, was destroyed. The Azerbaijani people could not recover from this terrible blow over the next decades.
In 1948-1953, a new stage of mass expulsion of Azerbaijanis began from their ancient homeland - Western Azerbaijan (the so-called territory of the Armenian SSR). The Armenians, supported and encouraged by the Russians, became even more entrenched in the lands of Western Azerbaijan. They were provided with a numerical advantage in this territory. Despite the great successes achieved as a result of the creative activities of the Azerbaijani people, for a number of objective and subjective reasons, negative trends began to appear in many areas of the Azerbaijani economy - both in industry and in agriculture.
In the difficult situation in which the Republic found itself, significant changes took place in the leadership of Azerbaijan. In 1969, the first period of Heydar Aliyev’s leadership of Azerbaijan began. In the difficult historical situation of the rule of a totalitarian regime, a great patron native people Heydar Aliyev began to implement extensive reform programs to transform Azerbaijan into one of the most advanced republics of the USSR.
The great politician first achieved the adoption of favorable resolutions at the Politburo level Central Committee Communist Party USSR, plenums of the Central Committee, congresses of the Communist Party by decision most important tasks necessary for the development of their homeland, their people in various fields economy (including agriculture), and culture. Then he mobilized the entire people to implement these resolutions and tirelessly fought for the prosperity of his native Azerbaijan. The task of transforming Azerbaijan into a country capable of living independently, self-sufficient and highly developed from a scientific and technical point of view (in the terminology of that time - into an administrative-territorial unit) was at the forefront of his plans. In a word, the path leading to independence was started back then by Heydar Aliyev.
In 1970-1985, during a historically short time, hundreds of plants, factories, and industries were created on the territory of the Republic. 213 large industrial enterprises were built and started working. In many industries, Azerbaijan occupied leading positions in the USSR. 350 types of products produced in Azerbaijan were exported to 65 countries. The enormous historical significance of all these creative works carried out by Heydar Aliyev in the first period of his leadership was that the people again awakened feelings of freedom and independence. This, in fact, was the entry of the Azerbaijani people into a new stage in the rise of the liberation movement in the 70s of the 20th century.
The last, at the moment, stage in the history of statehood of Azerbaijan, which began on the eve of the fall of the USSR on October 18, 1991 with the adoption of the Constitution Act “On State Independence of the Azerbaijan Republic,” continues successfully to this day.
Throughout their history, the Azerbaijani states went through periods of rise and decline, were subjected to internal disintegration and external occupation. But, despite this, Azerbaijan has always maintained peaceful, calm relations with its neighbors. However, the “peace-loving” neighbors, especially the Armenians who settled in Western Azerbaijan, always looked at the Azerbaijani lands with envy and, at any opportunity, seized certain territories.
In 1988, separatist terrorist groups of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, together with the armed forces of Armenia, began to carry out military operations with the aim of appropriating Nagorno-Karabakh. They were joined by units of the USSR armed forces located in Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. At the beginning, the places of residence of Azerbaijanis in Karabakh were seized. On January 19, 1992, Kerkijahan was captured, and on February 10, the villages of Malybeyli and Gushchular. The peaceful unarmed population was subjected to forcible eviction. The blockade of Khojaly and Shushi has narrowed. In mid-February, Armenian and Soviet military units captured the village of Garadaghly. On the night of February 25-26, the most tragic event in the modern history of Azerbaijan took place. Armenian military formations, together with soldiers of the 366th motorized rifle regiment of Russia, committed a terrible massacre of the Azerbaijani civilian population in the village of Khojaly.
In March 1992, while popular movement growing stronger, the leader of the Republic, A. Mutallibov, resigned. The resulting void in governance further weakened the defense capacity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. As a result, in May 1992, Armenian and Soviet military units captured Shusha. Thus, the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh was almost completely captured. The next step was the capture of the Lachin region, dividing Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh. The ongoing infighting of the new government during the reign of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan dealt a heavy blow to the defense capability of the Republic. In April 1993, Kalbajar was captured. At the request of the people, Heydar Aliyev came to power again.
With the return to power of Heydar Aliyev, a decisive turn took place in the life of Azerbaijan. After several political steps, a wise politician eliminated the danger civil war. The national leader, Heydar Aliyev, took the correct position on issues of war. As a wise strategist, he calculated the real situation in the country, took into account the forces and plans of our insidious enemies and their international patrons, as well as the entire danger of the bloody whirlpool in which Azerbaijan found itself, and correctly assessed the situation. Based on the real situation, he achieved a ceasefire.
The national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, saved the people and the Motherland from national and moral decay and the possibility of collapse. He suspended the implementation of erroneous decisions of previous “leaders”, which they adopted based not on the instructive lessons of the historical past, not on the realities of the changed world, not on the truth of domestic and international life, but on emotions. True meaning the concept of “Azerbaijan” was restored and returned to our land, our people, our language. Thus, the Islamic-Turkic past of our people, love for the Motherland and the language of our people, which are the basis of our power and unity, were restored. The real possibility of an ethnic clash was prevented. The arrows of our enemies missed us in this matter as well.
Today, the authority and influence of independent Azerbaijan in the international arena is constantly growing. The Republic of Azerbaijan has gained democratic, legal and state authority throughout the world. Our fundamental law, which is the creation of the mind of Heydar Aliyev, is one of the most democratic and perfect Constitutions in the world. She aroused respect for our Motherland in international society. The calm that reigns in our country and the internal reforms being implemented have a positive impact on expanding relations with foreign countries. The Republic of Azerbaijan, building its foreign policy based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, has become an open country for all countries of the world.
Brief history of Azerbaijan The history of Azerbaijan, or rather its statehood, dates back approximately 5 thousand years. The first state formations on the territory of Azerbaijan arose from the end of the 4th, beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. In the 1st millennium BC, there were Manna, Iskim, Skit, Scythian and such strong states as Caucasian Albania and Atropatena. These states played a major role in improving the culture of public administration, in the history of the country's economic culture, as well as in the process of forming a unified people. In the 3rd century AD. Azerbaijan was occupied by the Iranian Sassanid Empire, and in the 7th century by the Arab Caliphate. The occupiers resettled a large population of Iranian and Arab origin into the country. With the adoption of the Islamic religion in the 7th century, the history of Azerbaijan underwent a radical change. The Muslim religion gave a strong impetus to the formation of a single people, language, customs, etc. among Turkic and non-Turkic peoples in the territories where modern Azerbaijan is now located. A new political and cultural upsurge began in Azerbaijan: on its lands, where Islam was widespread as the state religion, the states of the Sajids, Shirvanshahs, Salarids, Ravvadids and Shaddadids were created. At the indicated time, the Renaissance era began in Azerbaijani history. At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries, a new milestone began in the history of Azerbaijan. The outstanding statesman Shah Ismail Khatai managed to unite all the northern and southern lands of Azerbaijan under his leadership. A single Safavid state was formed with its capital in the city of Tabriz, which over time turned into one of the most powerful empires in the Near and Middle East. The commander Nadir Shah, who came to power after the fall of the Safavid state, further expanded the borders of the former Safavid empire. This ruler conquered Northern India, including Delhi, in 1739. However, after his death, the empire he ruled fell. In the second half of the 18th century, Azerbaijan broke up into small khanates and sultanates. At the end of the 18th century, the Gajars, an Azerbaijani dynasty, came to power in Iran. They began to introduce a policy of subordinating the territories that were under the rule of Nadir Shah, including the Azerbaijani khanates, to centralized rule. Thus began the era of many years of wars between the Gajars and Russia, which was trying to seize the South Caucasus. As a result, on the basis of the Gulustan (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828) treaties, Azerbaijan was divided between two empires: Southern Azerbaijan was annexed to Iran, and Northern Azerbaijan to the Russian Empire. *** On April 28, 1920, the creation of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR) was announced on the territory of the ADR. In December 1922, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia formed the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic. In 1922 it became part of the USSR, and in 1936 the TSFSR was dissolved, and Azerbaijan SSR was incorporated into the USSR as an independent republic that existed until 1991. On August 30, 1991, Azerbaijan declared independence.
AZERBAIJAN. STORY
At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. The first states - Mana and Media - were formed on the territory of Azerbaijan. In the 7th century. BC. Media came under the influence of Persia and under the Persian ruler Atropate it was called Media Atropatena or simply Atropatena. According to one version, the modern name Azerbaijan originates 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 Caucasian Albania tribal association, which existed until the 4th century. AD From 387 AD until the middle of the 7th century. Caucasian Albania was under the rule of Sasanian Iran and later the Arab Caliphate. The Arabs actively propagated Islam, which led to the synthesis of Persian secular and Arab religious cultures. In the 8th-11th centuries. The influence of nomadic Turkic tribes is increasing, mixing with the local population and influencing the language, culture and politics of the state. Persian language The indigenous population was gradually supplanted by the Turkic dialect, from which over time the independent Azerbaijani language was formed. The process of Turkification 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 part of the state of Hulagu Khan and his successors, the Ilkhans. In the 15th century, after the invasion of Timur's troops, it came under the rule of the Turkmen, 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 the stronghold of the local Safavid dynasty, which, through conquest and a vigorous policy of centralization, created a new vast Persian state from the Syrdarya to the Euphrates. Shah Ismail I (r. 1502-1524), whose capital was Tabriz, declared Shiism state religion country, which finally alienated the Azerbaijanis from the Seljuk Turks. Under the Safavids, Azerbaijan often became a battlefield in 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 governed by a governor, who usually combined this position with the highest military rank sepahsalara. Safavid rule lasted until 1722; at the same time, the state gradually lost its Azerbaijani and acquired Persian character. In 1723 Türkiye captured most Azerbaijan. After the murder in 1747 Persian ruler Nadir Shah's state collapsed. To the north of the Araks River, approx. 15 independent khanates, including Karabakh, Sheki, Shirvan, Baku, Ganja, Kuba, Nakhichevan, Derbent and Talysh. The period of existence of the khanates (second half of the 18th century) was marked by the rivalry between Turkey and Persia, political fragmentation and civil strife, which facilitated Russian penetration into Transcaucasia. Favorite extension tool Russian influence there was the conclusion of treaties under which local rulers became vassals of Russia. This process was challenged by Persia, which grew stronger under 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, were transferred to Russia. The second war, in which Russia also won, ended with the Peace of Turkmanchay (1828), according to which two large khanates went to Russia: Nakhichevan and Erivan. The Peace of Turkmanchay completed the division of Azerbaijan along the Araks River. The 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 arose after the revolution of 1905, the Musavat party lasted the longest and had the most adherents. Founded illegally in 1911, it quickly increased its numbers after the overthrow of tsarism in Russia in 1917. The most important components of the Musavatist 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 land reform. The leader of the party was M.E. Rasulzade, who was leaning towards the left.
The first independent republic. After October revolution 1917 Russia plunged into the chaos of 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 its temporary capital in Ganja. Previously rarely used geographical name Azerbaijan has now become the name of the state of the people, previously called 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 joined the Austro-German bloc during the First World War (1914), capitulated to the Entente forces at the end of October 1918. The Turkish occupation forces were replaced by British ones, who occupied Baku in August and dissolved the Baku Council in September. people's commissars and shot its Bolshevik leaders (26 Baku commissars). After this, in less than a year, the republic changed five governments; all of them were formed by the Musavat party in a coalition with other parties. The prime minister of the first three governments was Fatali Khan-Khoyskiy, the last two - Nasib Yusufbekov. The head of state was considered the Chairman of 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 depended entirely on the outcome of the civil war in Russia. In the spring of 1920, 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. Story Soviet Azerbaijan began with the suppression of armed uprisings in various parts countries. In December 1922, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia formed a temporary state association 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.J. Bagirov, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan. The intelligentsia and peasants were subjected to particular terror, but purges were also carried out among communist leaders who were seen as sympathizing with pan-Turkism or who 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, instead of Turkish, was called Azerbaijani.
The Second World War. German troops, which invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, reached the Greater Caucasus Range in July 1942, but the Germans never entered Azerbaijani territory. Many Azerbaijanis fought in the ranks of the Red Army, but at least 35 thousand Azerbaijani prisoners of war joined German army and were used both on the front line and in the rear. The event that changed the direction of Azerbaijani nationalism was the occupation Soviet troops Iranian Azerbaijan 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, the “Azerbaijani people's government” was formed in Tabriz, headed by S.J. Pishevari, leader of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party. Azerbaijani cultural and educational institutions were created throughout Iranian Azerbaijan, and opinions spread about the possibility of uniting both Azerbaijans 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 power over Iranian Azerbaijan.
Post-war period. In the post-war years, Stalin's policy of repression was continued. Khrushchev's "thaw" (1955-1964) was a period of weakening control in the field of literature and public life. At the same time, the “thaw” was marked by a new anti-Islamic campaign and the return of the policy of Sovietization as part of the “rapprochement of nations,” which was supposed to lead to the merging of all the peoples of the USSR into a new community - the Soviet people. In the 1960s, the first signs of a crisis in the Soviet colonial system appeared. The most important for Azerbaijan oil industry began to lose its position in the economy due to the depletion of proven reserves of Azerbaijani oil and the development of new fields in other regions of the Soviet Union. A crisis oil industry led to a reduction in investment in the Azerbaijani economy. Trying to end the crisis, the USSR authorities in 1969 appointed Heydar Aliyev first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan. Aliyev managed to improve the economic situation and accelerate industrial growth, as well as 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 growth of Iranian influence, the slogan of “United Azerbaijan” was again put forward, however, it was embodied more in journalism than in specific political actions. Azerbaijan lagged behind others 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 the Popular Front of 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 Popular Front between the conservative-Islamist and moderate currents. Most of the leaders of the Popular Front were arrested. In the alternative elections held in September 1990, the Communists received approx. 90% of the votes and were accused of rigging the election results. After the failed coup attempt on August 19-21, 1991 in Moscow, the pro-communist The Supreme Council Republic proclaimed the independence of Azerbaijan on August 30, 1991. This was followed by the dissolution of the Azerbaijan Communist Party, although its members retained their positions in government and the economy. In September 1991 last leader The Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutalibov, was elected president of the republic. The Supreme Council officially enacted the Declaration of Independence on October 18. Meanwhile, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh expanded. In early 1992, regional Armenian leaders declared 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 led to Mutalibov's resignation in March 1992. New presidential elections were held in June 1992. The former communist nomenklatura was unable to nominate a bright leader, and Abulfaz Elchibey, the leader of the Popular Front, 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 to resolve the problems that led to Mutalibov's resignation. 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. At the beginning of June 1993, in Ganja, under the leadership of Colonel Suret Huseynov, a rebellion was launched 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 his post as a result of a referendum held in August, and Aliyev was elected president in October. Aliyev's rise to power became part of general process return to power of the former Soviet leaders in many republics former USSR. Having strengthened his position in the country, Aliyev returned Azerbaijan to the CIS. Iran welcomed Aliyev's coming to power, as it feared the influence of the Popular Front in Iranian Azerbaijan, but in Turkey this was perceived as Baku's departure from its 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 Caucasus, or rather its southern part, has a rich thousand-year history and is even considered one of the places where civilization arose. And this is not surprising, because the richest nature and the climatic conditions of this region have long attracted people. Today in the Caucasus there live people of various nationalities, professing different religions. Each of the states located there has its own unique story. This material will briefly outline the history of Azerbaijan - everything from the very beginning up to the present day.
Cradle of Civilizations
On the territory of modern Azerbaijan, the first people appeared in the Stone Age. In one of the caves located in the lands of Karabakh, researchers found various stone tools: arrowheads, knives, axes, including those intended for processing wood and cutting up carcasses. A Neanderthal jaw was also discovered there, and the age of the drawings left by a certain artist is 10 thousand years.
Perhaps the history of Azerbaijan begins with the primitive communal system. People have lived here since ancient times. The remains of ancient settlements have been excavated near Mount Killidag. It is known that primitive people Those who lived on this land were engaged in hunting, as well as cattle breeding and agriculture.
Lands of Azerbaijan BC
Primitive people who lived on the territory of modern Azerbaijan improved their skills. Over time, they learned to process copper, and in the 4th millennium BC. e. and iron. More advanced tools made it possible to increase productivity, which ultimately led to the stratification of society and the decline of the primitive communal system. Gradually new tribes were formed, among which were the Lullubeys, Maneis, Kutii, Albanians and others.
Where does the history of Azerbaijan as a state originate? At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e. in these lands the state of Manna was formed, which then became part of the more powerful Media. However, in those days, many wars of conquest were fought in this territory - the Scythians and Cimmerians, and then the Persians and Macedonians invaded here.
Atropatena and Albania Caucasus
After in the 4th century BC. e. Alexander the Great defeated the Persian troops, and a new state arose within the borders of modern Southern Azerbaijan - Atropatena with its capital in Gazak. It was a fairly developed country, with writing and monetary relations, in which the “cult of fire” or Zoroastrianism predominated. Atropatene existed until 150 AD. e. By the way, the origin of the toponym Azerbaijan is associated with the name of this state.
Approximately simultaneously with the emergence of Atropatena, the state of Caucasian Albania was formed to the north of this country, the capital of which was the city of Kabala, whose ruins are located on the territory of the Gabala region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The population of this country consists of the Albanian, Legian and Udi tribes. Of course, the ancient history of Azerbaijan originates from these states.
In Caucasian Albania, Christianity becomes the main religion; writing is also present here and has its own alphabet, and the lands of this country are extremely fertile. Residents of Caucasian Albania are successfully engaged in agriculture, and crafts are flourishing. Examples of products made by Albanian artisans were discovered at excavations in Mingachevir.
VII-XII centuries Invasions of Arabs and Seljuk Turks
The history of Azerbaijan consists of many aggressive raids to which these lands have been subjected over the centuries. Thus, in the 7th century, the Arab Caliphate invaded Transcaucasia, which resulted in the spread of Islam to these lands. The peasant uprising that arose in 816, which lasted 20 years, was suppressed, after which the states that existed at that time fell apart into many feudal principalities. Among them, the state of Shirvan, located in the northeast of Azerbaijan, subsequently played a special role.
In the middle of the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks came to the region and managed to subjugate most of the territories of today's Azerbaijan. The nomadic conquerors caused serious damage to the agriculture that flourished here, but over time they themselves switched to a sedentary lifestyle. Based Turkic language, mixed with the language of the local population, the Azerbaijani language was subsequently formed.
As a result of the struggle waged local population against foreign invaders, in the 12th century the Turks were practically driven out of the region. These victories created the preconditions for strengthening statehood and further socio-economic progress. Agriculture and handicrafts are flourishing as never before, and there has been significant development in the fields of science and culture. Perhaps the history of the creation of Azerbaijan originates precisely in this period, when the disunited principalities united under the leadership of the Atebeks of Azerbaijan.
XIII - XVI centuries. Mongol invasion. The struggle for dominance in the Caucasus
The troubles of the ancestors of modern Azerbaijanis do not end with the departure of the Turks - the invasion begins at the beginning of the 13th century Mongol horde. The conquerors destroyed many prosperous cities and destroyed the region's irrigation network. Their presence here led to the suspension of the development of the region for almost two centuries. The then Azerbaijan is part of Mongolian state Khulagidov. The region's revival occurred in the 14th century, when the Khulagid state finally collapsed. During the same period, they established diplomatic relations between Shirvan and Russia.
In the second half of the 15th century, the struggle for dominance in the region intensified. And already at the beginning of the 16th century, the Safavid dynasty seized power in Shirvan, as a result of which the Safavid state was founded, which subsequently had a significant influence on Azerbaijan. The history of the country during this period was marked rapid development science, culture and, in particular, literature.
The end of the 16th - first half of the 19th centuries. Partition of Azerbaijan
The end of the 16th century, like the entire history of Azerbaijan, was marked by new upheavals associated with the struggle between Turkey and the Safavid state for the right to dominate the Caucasus. In the 18th century, the dominance of Iran was established in Azerbaijan, which ended due to the outbreak of anti-feudal protests that led to the assassination of Nadir Shah, the ruler of Iran. After this, more than a dozen khanates were formed on the lands of Azerbaijan, whose independence continued to be threatened by Iran and Türkiye. The rulers of some khanates decide to seek support from Russia.
As a result of the Russian-Iranian wars in the first half of the 19th century, Azerbaijan again lost its independence and was divided into two parts. Accordingly, the northern part went to Russia, and the southern part to Iran.
Second half of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. Azerbaijan within Russia
In the second half of the 19th century, the country began to experience rapid growth in oil production. However, it has been mined here since time immemorial. In 1893, active construction of railways began, which by 1890 connected Azerbaijan with Russia. Industrial progress, as well as the integration of Azerbaijan into the Russian economy and the subsequent reforms are yielding positive results. There is also a significant infusion of money into the country’s economy, including Western ones.
The history of Azerbaijan as part of Russia also contains many interesting facts. At the turn of the century, the first social democratic circles were created in Baku. The proletariat of the capital takes part in various strikes and strikes that arise as a result of the difficult situation of the Azerbaijani people, which was aggravated by the outbreak of the First World War.
Azerbaijan within the USSR
As a result of the revolutions of 1917, the struggle for Azerbaijan begins again. History of origin independent state in its current form begins here. in spring next year here the independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was proclaimed, the supremacy of which Nagorno-Karabakh refused to recognize. The establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan in 1920 put an end to the disagreements.
Along with all other peoples living on the territory of the USSR, the Azerbaijani people took part in the Great Patriotic War. The country produced significant quantities of ammunition and fuel for the Soviet army. Over a hundred Azerbaijani soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Gaining independence
In 1991, due to the collapse of the USSR, Azerbaijan finally gained independence. The authorities of the newly created state set a course for building a democratic society. Multinational country is Azerbaijan. The history of the state, in which people of various nationalities have coexisted for centuries, is perhaps just beginning.
It only remains to add that traditional features Since ancient times, hospitality, respect for elders, tolerance and peacefulness have always been characteristic of the Azerbaijani people.