The people of Azerbaijan, who have regained their independence at the end of the 20th century, have an ancient and rich history of statehood.
The historical lands of Azerbaijan are one of the oldest cultural centers where modern civilization began to develop. Archaeological findings found in Azikh, Taglar, Damjili, Dashsalahli, Gazma caves, as well as in other monuments, including the jaw bone of an ancient man who lived 300-400 thousand years ago - Azikh man (Azikhanthropus), prove that this land is one of the oldest human settlements in the world.
Azerbaijanis are also one of the nations with the oldest traditions of statehood in the world. Historical traditions of statehood in the lands of Azerbaijan have a history of approximately 5 thousand years. The first state institutions or ethnic-political associations were formed from the end of the 4th millennium BC to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC on the territory of Azerbaijan.
Powerful states such as Manna, Midia, Atropatena and Albania existed in the lands of Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC and the 1st millennium of our era.
The state of Manna occupies an important place in the history of the state culture not only of Azerbaijan, but also of the world. Manna was closely involved in the military and political events taking place in the entire region. It fought against its powerful neighbors i.e. the states of Assyria and Urartu who were trying to seize the lands of Azerbaijan.
From the end of the 8th century to the beginning of the 7th century BC, the Cimmerians and Scythians, as well as Sacs and Massagets from the same root as Scythians, began to play an important role in the military and political history of Azerbaijan.
In later times, neither the long occupation regime of the Achaemenid-Iranian empire nor the campaigns of Alexander the Great could destroy the ancient culture of state administration of Azerbaijan. Immediately after the death of Alexander the Great, Azerbaijani statehood was revived. The states of Atropatena and Albania were formed in the north of our country.
At the beginning of our era, our country faced one of the most difficult periods of its history. Azerbaijan was occupied by the Sasanian-Iranian empire in the 3rd century, and the Arab caliphate in the 7th century. The invaders moved a large population of Iranian-speaking and Arab origin to the country. The new population was settled in the locations of essential military-strategic importance and in the most fertile lands, and they were given wide privileges. However, all this could not destroy the ancient statehood traditions of Azerbaijan, and the process of formation of the Azerbaijani people continued. During the long historical period, as a result of the fact that Azerbaijan was part of those empires, internal relations between all regions of the country, first of all, trade relations expanded. An important progress has been made in the path of ethnic-political and cultural unity between the northern and southern, eastern and western regions of Azerbaijan.
After the collapse of the Caliphate, from the middle of the 9th century, the ancient state traditions of Azerbaijan were revived. The states of the Sajis, Shirvanshahs, Salaris, Ravvadis, and Shaddadis were established in the lands of Azerbaijan. There was an awakening in all spheres of political, economic and cultural life. After the Sassanid and Arab slavery that lasted up to 600 years, the creation of local states and the spread of Islam throughout the country played an important role in the further development of Azerbaijan. However, none of the states that emerged after the decline of the Arab caliphate could become a single, stable, powerful state covering the entire territory of Azerbaijan during a long historical period. So, lasting political stability was not ensured. Azerbaijan was included in the Great Seljuk Empire, which covered vast territories from Central Asia to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and from the Darband Pass to the Persian Gulf.
The states of Shirvanshahs and Eldenizs, which became stronger after the fall of the Great Seljuk Empire, played an important role in the continuation and further development of the statehood traditions of the Azerbaijani people. The Eldenizs state of Azerbaijan, which has become the most powerful state in the Near and Middle East, has a special weight in the ethno-political history of our nation. The renaissance of Azerbaijan rose to its Khagani, Nizami, Ajami peak.
In the 15th-18th centuries, the state culture of Azerbaijan became richer. During this period, the Karagoyunlu, Aghgoyunlu and Safavid states of the East were directly ruled by the Azerbaijani dynasties. This important factor had a positive effect on the internal and international relations of the state, expanded its sphere of military and political influence, the field of activity of the Azerbaijani language, and created favorable conditions for the further development of the material and spiritual culture of the people.
At the end of the 15th - the beginning of the 16th century, Azerbaijani statehood entered a new stage in its historical evolution. Uzun Hasan's grandson, Shah Ismayil Khatai, a prominent statesman, was able to unite all Azerbaijani lands under his rule. A single, centralized state of Azerbaijan with the capital city of Tabriz - the Safavid state was formed. During the reign of the Safavids, the level of culture of state administration in Azerbaijan increased even more. As a result of the activities of Shah Ismail, Shah Tahmasib, Shah Abbas and other Safavid rulers, as a result of their successful domestic and foreign policies, the Safavid state became one of the most powerful empires in the Near and Middle East after a short period of time.
Nadir Shah (1736-1747), the prominent Azerbaijani commander who came to power after the fall of the Safavid state, further expanded the borders of the former Safavid empire. This great ruler conquered Northern India in 1739, including Delhi. However, his plans to create a powerful centralized state in this vast area did not come true. After the death of Nadir Shah, the vast empire ruled by him broke up.
Thus, in the second half of the 18th century, Azerbaijan was divided into small states - khanates and sultanates. The period of military and political decline of the country has begun. Although individual khans trying to preserve the ancient statehood traditions of Azerbaijan tried to re-unite the whole country within the framework of a single state, it did not give any result. Political fragmentation deepened. In this case, a very favorable opportunity fell into the hands of foreign aggressors trying to invade Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan became the arena of bloody wars between two great powers. According to the Treaties of Gulustan (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828), the lands of Azerbaijan were divided between two empires: the north of Azerbaijan belonged to Russia, and the south to the kingdom of Iran ruled by the Qajars.
Nevertheless, thanks to the activities of patriotic people and prominent intellectuals, the spiritual development of the Azerbaijani people was ensured, its historical memory and national culture were preserved.
The Azerbaijani enlightenment movement constituted one of the most important periods of our history. The role of this stage in the cultural and political revival of the Azerbaijani people is irreplaceable.
First Republic: Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920)
On May 28, 1918, the first democratic parliamentary republic in the Muslim East, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, was declared. The newly established Azerbaijan People's Republic honorably fulfilled its difficult historical task, working to the limit of its capabilities. In Azerbaijan, serious measures were taken in the field of independent, democratic state building. The first parliament and government, state apparatus, management institutions were formed, the borders of the country were defined, highly combat-capable military units were created in a short time. Important works were done to ensure territorial integrity and national security, the state flag, anthem and coat of arms were adopted. The mother tongue was declared the state language, special attention was paid to the development of education and culture, and purposeful steps were taken to solve other important issues of exceptional importance for the comprehensive development of the people and national statehood in the following years.
First Republic: Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920)
From the first days of its existence, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, based on the principles of people's power and people's equality, eliminated racial, national, religious and class inequality by giving equal rights to all citizens of the country. Women were given the right to vote in Azerbaijan for the first time in the East and long before some European countries.
Unfortunately, one of the first decisions of the Azerbaijan People's Republic was to give Yerevan as the capital to Armenia based on the compromise reached as a result of the Batumi negotiations, in the conditions of the Armenian military units' policy of ethnic cleansing against the Azerbaijanis and land claims to establish a state for themselves. This great historical mistake led to further tragedies in the life of the Azerbaijani people and the continuous expansion of Armenians.
On December 7, 1918, at 13:00, the ceremonial opening of the Parliament of Azerbaijan took place in the building of H.Z. Taghiyev's girls' school (currently the building where the Institute of Manuscripts named after Muhammad Fuzuli is located). It was the first legislative body in the entire Muslim East, formed on the basis of the most progressive, democratic principles of that time. The laws adopted by the parliament of the Republic during the year and a half of its activity enabled the strengthening of the independence of the national state, political and economic development, and rapid progress in the fields of culture and education.
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic always pursued a peaceful policy and tried to establish mutual cooperation relations with all states and establish relations based on the principles of respect for each other's rights. Thanks to the activities of the People's Republic, becoming of Azerbaijan a subject of international law prevented its removal from the political map of the world as a state after the Bolshevik invasion in April 1920.
The Second Republic: Azerbaijan during the years of Soviet rule (1920-1991)
On April 28, 1920, Azerbaijan was invaded by Bolshevik Russia. During the Soviet rule, Azerbaijani statehood faced difficult tests. In 1920-1922, the de facto independence of Azerbaijan already recognized by the international community was formally partially preserved. In March 1922, the three republics of the South Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia) were united under a single state - the Federal Union of Socialist Soviet Republics of Transcaucasus (FUSSRT), and formal independence was completely eliminated.
During the Soviet Union, Zangezur, Goycha, part of Nakhchivan and other regions were taken from Azerbaijan and joined to Armenia. As a result, the territory of the country, which was equal to 114 thousand square kilometers during the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, was reduced to 86.6 thousand square kilometers. In addition, on July 7, 1923, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was established at the initiative of the Bolshevik leaders. This decision was the first step towards the separation of Nagorno-Karabakh from the territory of Azerbaijan.
Resistance against the Soviet rule in Azerbaijan was brutally met with exiles and repressions. During the repressions of 1937, most of the prominent intellectuals of the Azerbaijani people who did not reconcile with the Soviet government were arrested under various pretexts, exiled to Siberia and the steppes of Kazakhstan, and many of them were shot.
The Azerbaijani people made great sacrifices during the Second World War, the Azerbaijani divisions fought a glorious battle from the Caucasus to Berlin. Baku oil played an important role in achieving victory over fascism.
The coming of Heydar Aliyev to the state power on July 14, 1969 was a historical event in terms of finding clear answers to many fateful questions facing Azerbaijan and solving them in sequence.
The Second Republic: Azerbaijan during the years of Soviet rule (1920-1991)
Third Republic: Republic of Azerbaijan
In the early 1970s and early 1980s, the large-scale measures implemented to develop the republic's economy, including the creation of numerous industrial enterprises and production areas based on the most modern technologies for that period, radically changed the economic infrastructure and paved the way for its transformation from an agrarian republic to a more industrially oriented republic.
Thus, despite all the deprivations, the huge potential gained during the years of Soviet rule, especially in 1969-1982, became very necessary for our state, which regained its independence at the end of the 20th century.
Third Republic: Republic of Azerbaijan
On October 18, 1991, Azerbaijan declared itself the political and legal successor of the People's Republic and showed its commitement to the ancient traditions of statehood. A little later, the state symbols of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic were restored.
The Republic of Azerbaijan, which declared its independence by the will of the people, began to act in very complicated conditions. The expansion of Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, internal strife for power, and the collapse of the economy have greatly weakened the country. The power of the People's Front of Azerbaijan-Musavat brought the country to the point of disintegration with its bad activity.
The situation began to change after national leader Heydar Aliyev returned to power in 1993 at the request of the people. On June 15, 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected as the chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Azerbaijan. That day entered our history as National Salvation Day. On June 23, the Milli Majlis entrusted the presidential powers to the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, Heydar Aliyev.
The people united more closely around their leader Heydar Aliyev. On October 3, 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected as the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Building an independent state, ensuring its security, territorial integrity, economic recovery, democratic development, establishment of Azerbaijan's international relations and integration into the world community formed the main outlines of Heydar Aliyev's national development strategy.
It was thanks to Heydar Aliyev's rescue mission that the state independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan was preserved. The years 1993-2003 entered the history of Azerbaijan as a period of deep reforms, when the national leader was in power.
Since 2003, the political line of national leader Heydar Aliyev has been successfully continued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. It was at this stage that a special part of the income obtained from the export of energy resources was directed to the diversification of the economy, the development of the non-oil sector, and the renewal and modernization of all areas of social life. Numerous state programs adopted and implemented consistently, special projects implemented, ensured the formation of strong economic potential, the mobilization and efficient use of human capital, the creation of modern infrastructures of the country in all areas, and the improvement of the population's well-being. Today, Azerbaijan is recognized and accepted in the world as a reliable partner and an influential state pursuing an independent policy. The purposeful policy of President Ilham Aliyev based on national interests is unequivocally supported by the people of Azerbaijan. The results of all elections held after 2003 are a clear example of this support.