When did the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic exist?

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic existed 1918–1920. On this map it is drawn 1918–1919.

How large was the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic covered about 88,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

Central Asia · The Soviet century and after

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic

1918–1920

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was founded by the Azerbaijani National Council in Tiflis on 28 May 1918, following the collapse of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, and ceased to exist on 28 April 1920. It is generally described as the first secular democratic republic in the Turkic and Muslim worlds.

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Existed: 1918–1920
Shown on the map: 1918–1919
Peak area: 88k km²
Region: Central Asia

Overview

Background and establishment

From the Treaties of Gulistan (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828), the territory had been part of the Russian Empire's Caucasus Viceroyalty. After the 1917 revolutions, Transcaucasian leaders rejected Bolshevism; the region experienced the Baku Commune and the March Days of 1918, in which between 3,000 and 12,000 Muslims were killed in Baku amid interethnic fighting. When the Transcaucasian federation dissolved in May 1918, the Azerbaijani faction constituted itself as the National Council and declared independence, adopting the name "Azerbaijan" — previously used for the adjacent region of northwestern Iran, which caused a naming controversy with Qajar Iran. Ganja served as temporary capital until Baku was taken in September 1918, after the Ottoman Army of Islam captured the city; the Armistice of Mudros then brought British forces to Baku in November 1918.

Government and leaders

The ADR was a parliamentary republic in which a parliament elected by universal, free, and proportional representation was the supreme organ. Fatali Khan Khoyski was the first prime minister (1918–1919), followed by Nasib bey Yusifbeyli (1919–1920); Mammad Amin Rasulzade and Alimardan bey Topchubashov led the National Council and later the Parliament. The Musavat party dominated a multiparty legislature that included Armenian, Russian, Polish, German, and Jewish minority representatives. Notable achievements included women's suffrage — among the first in the world and the first in a Muslim-majority nation — and the founding of Baku State University in 1919.

Foreign relations and conflict

The Ottoman Empire was the first state to recognize the ADR (Treaty of Batum). The republic maintained diplomatic relations with numerous states, and on 12 January 1920 the Allied Supreme Council extended de facto recognition. The ADR fought the Armenian–Azerbaijani war (1918–1920) over Nakhchivan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Zangezur, and Qazakh, and had disputes with Georgia; it stayed neutral in the Russian Civil War while facing threats from Denikin's Whites and the Bolsheviks.

Fall

In April 1920, as the Russian XI Red Army approached, the Azerbaijan Communist Party issued an ultimatum; parliament voted to surrender to avoid bloodshed, and the Red Army occupied the country on 28 April 1920, establishing the Azerbaijan SSR. A May 1920 uprising in Ganja was crushed; many ADR leaders fled or were executed. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan, independent since 1991, declares itself the heir of the ADR.

Common questions

What was the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic?: The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was founded by the Azerbaijani National Council in Tiflis on 28 May 1918, following the collapse of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, and ceased to exist on 28 April 1920. It is generally described as the first secular democratic republic in the Turkic and Muslim worlds.
When did the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic exist?: The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic existed 1918–1920. On this map it is drawn 1918–1919.
How large was the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic covered about 88,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
How did the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic end?: In April 1920, as the Russian XI Red Army approached, the Azerbaijan Communist Party issued an ultimatum; parliament voted to surrender to avoid bloodshed, and the Red Army occupied the country on 28 April 1920, establishing the Azerbaijan SSR. A May 1920 uprising in Ganja was crushed; many ADR leaders fled or were executed.
How was the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic governed?: The ADR was a parliamentary republic in which a parliament elected by universal, free, and proportional representation was the supreme organ.
What did the economy and culture of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic rest on?: The Ottoman Empire was the first state to recognize the ADR (Treaty of Batum). The republic maintained diplomatic relations with numerous states, and on 12 January 1920 the Allied Supreme Council extended de facto recognition.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Azerbaijan Democratic Republic en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan_Democratic_Republic

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 27 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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