Today is celebrated as Independence Day in Azerbaijan
.It has been 106 years since the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first secular democratic state in the Muslim East, on May 28, 1918.
On May 28, 1918, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920) – the first secular democratic state in the Muslim East – was established. This republic left a mark in the history of Azerbaijanis as the first experience of Azerbaijani statehood.
Founded by Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first parliamentary republic and the first example of a democratic, legal, and secular state in the Turkish and Islamic world.The first head of the provisional government of Azerbaijan was Fatali Khan Khoyski. After working for ten days in Tbilisi, the National Council moved to Ganja.
It was only in September 1918, after the Turkish army cleared Baku of Armenian-Russian forces, that the national government moved from Ganja to Baku.
The independent Azerbaijan Republic achieved great successes and victories in its short lifespan. The republic, which for the first time granted women the right to vote and ensured gender equality, also established a national army, national currency, democratization, national bank, free elections, international relations, and formal recognition of Azerbaijan’s independence by the international community. It ensured Azerbaijan’s integrity, economic reforms, and more.
The first state to officially recognize the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the Ottoman Empire (June 4, 1918).
On November 9, 1918, based on the proposal of Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh, the three-colored flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was adopted. Until then, the flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was red.
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic operated in a tense and complex socio-political environment for only 23 months. Unfortunately, before the independent Azerbaijan Republic reached its second anniversary, it was attacked by the Bolsheviks and temporarily overthrown.
The Soviet Union forcibly incorporated Azerbaijan into its territory. Despite being overthrown by the Bolsheviks, the idea of independence did not perish, and in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Empire, Azerbaijan re-declared its independence.