Exile
For the rest of his
life, Rasulzade lived in exile first in Turkey. However, the 1931 suppression of the emigre
publications[citation
needed] coincided with Rasulzade's expulsion from Turkey,
and some saw it as the result of caving in to Soviet pressure. In reality, the
reason went deep into the complex relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Tensions had been growing toward the end of the decade, and by 1930, they had
reached a boiling point. In reply to Turkish criticism that the Musavat was
neglecting the cause of Turkic unity, Rasulzade published a pamphlet titled O
Pantiurkizme v sviazi s kavkazskoi problemoi (О Пантюркизме в связи с
кавказской проблемой, Pan-Turkism with regard to the caucasian problem), in
which he firmly stated his view: Pan-Turkism was a cultural movement rather than
a political program.Thus, he went to Poland in 1938, where
he met his wife, Vanda, niece of Polish statesman Józef Piłsudski, then to Romania in 1940. During World War II he
went to Berlin and met with Azeri POWs in attempt to encourage them to help Nazi
Germany, although the mission proved unsuccessful. Finally, after World War II, he went back to
Ankara, Turkey in 1947, where he participated in the politics of
the marginal Pan Turkic movement. Due to
sensitivity of his presence in either Turkey or Iran, and being often exiled,
Rasulzade "cherished bad memories of both Iran and Turkey". In his appeal to
Azerbaijani people in 1953 through Voice of America, he stressed his hope that
one day it will become independent again.[20]
He died in 1955, a broken man according to Thomas Goltz, and was
buried in Cebeci Asri cemetery in Ankara. Legacy and honors
Rasulzade was
commemorated by many memorials throughout Azerbaijan, such as Baku State
University, which was named after his honor. Rasulzade was depicted on the
obverse of
the Azerbaijani 1000 manat banknote of 1993-2006.
Mehmet Emin Resulzade Anatolian High School, named after him, is a public
high school at Ankara, Turkey
