Today, National Revival Day is celebrated in Azerbaijan. This holiday is associated with the National Liberation Movement that began in Baku during November-December 1988. At that time, the anti-Azerbaijani policies pursued by the USSR leadership surrounding the Karabakh issue led to the formation of an anti-Soviet popular movement in Azerbaijan. On November 17, 1988, long-term and continuous rallies began in Azerbaijan’s main square, Azadlıq Square (formerly Lenin Square). This protest, which lasted for 17 days without interruption and involved millions of people, was also the largest-scale protest in the former USSR. The people gathered in the square to oppose Moscow’s anti-Azerbaijani policies. Although the nationwide rally was dispersed by Soviet troops on the night of December 4-5, Moscow could not suppress the National Liberation Movement of the Azerbaijani people. In Azerbaijan, these events are regarded as the National Liberation Movement and are considered a major factor in the republic’s independence.
National Revival Day was declared on November 17, 1992.