After the collapse of
the Russian Empire during World
War I, Azerbaijan, together with Armenia and Georgia became part of the short-lived Transcaucasian
Democratic Federative Republic. When the republic dissolved in May 1918,
Azerbaijan declared independence as the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
(ADR). The ADR was the first modern parliamentary republic in the Muslim
world.[7][59][60]
Among the important accomplishments of the Parliament was the extension of
suffrage to women, making Azerbaijan the first Muslim nation to grant women
equal political rights with men. Another
important accomplishment of ADR was the establishment of Baku State
University, which was the first modern-type university founded in Muslim
East.
By March 1920, it was
obvious that Soviet Russia would attack the much-needed Baku. Vladimir Lenin said that
the invasion was justified as Soviet Russia
could not survive without Baku's oil. Independent
Azerbaijan lasted only 23 months until the Bolshevik 11th Soviet Red
Army invaded it, establishing the Azerbaijan SSR on April
28, 1920. Although the bulk of the newly formed Azerbaijani army was engaged in
putting down an Armenian revolt that had just broken out in Karabakh, Azeris did not surrender their brief
independence of 1918–20 quickly or easily. As many as 20,000 Azerbaijani
soldiers died resisting what was effectively a Russian reconquest.
On October 13, 1921,
the Soviet republics of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia signed an
agreement with Turkey known as the Treaty of Kars. The previously independent
Naxicivan SSR would also become an autonomous ASSR within the Azerbaijan SSR by
the treaty of Kars. On the other hand, Armenia was awarded the region of Zangezur and Turkey
agreed to return Gyumri (then known as
Alexandropol).
During World War II, Azerbaijan
played a crucial role in the strategic energy policy of Soviet Union, with most
of the Soviet Union's oil on the Eastern Front being supplied by
Baku. By the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in
February 1942, the commitment of more than 500 workers and employees of the oil industry of
Azerbaijan was awarded orders and medals. Operation Edelweiss carried out by the
German Wehrmacht targeted Baku
because of its importance as the energy (petroleum) dynamo of the USSR. A fifth of all Azerbaijanis fought in the Second World War from 1941 to 1945.
Approximately 681,000 people with over 100,000 of them women went to the front,
while the total population of Azerbaijan was 3.4 million at the time. Some 250,000 people from Azerbaijan were killed on the front. More than 130
Azerbaijanis were named Heroes of the Soviet Union.
Azerbaijani Major-General Azi Aslanov was twice awarded the Hero of the
Soviet Union
