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Mammed Amin Rasulzade (Template:Lang-az; January 31, 1884, Novkhana, near Baku—March 6, 1955, Ankara) was an Azerbaijani statesman, scholar, public figure and one of the founding political leaders of Azerbaijan Republic (1918-1920).

Life

Mammad Amin Rasulzade received his education at the Russian-Muslim Secondary School and then at the Technical College (now Petroleum College) in Baku. In his years of study he created "Muslim Youth Organisation Musavat", first secret organisation in Azerbaijan's contemporary history, and beginning from 1903 Rasulzade began writing articles in various opposition magazines.At that time, his anti-monarchist platform and his demands for the national autonomy of Azerbaijan, aligned him with Social Democrats and future communists. In 1904 he founded the first muslim social-democrat organisation "Hummet" and became editor-in-chief of its newspapers, "Tekamul"(1906-1907) and "Yoldash"(1907). Besides, he published many articles in non-partisan newspapers such as "Hayat", "Irshad" and also "Fuyuzat" journal. During the First Russian Revolution (1905-1907), Rasulzade actively participated in revolutionary developments. As the story goes, it was Rasulzade who saved young Joseph Stalin in 1905 in Baku, when police were searching for the latter as an active instigator of riots.Even after the First Revolution, Rasulzade continued journalistic activities. His first dramatic play entitled "The Lights in the Darkness," was staged in Baku in 1908.

In 1909, persecuted by Russian Administration, Rasulzade left for Iran to participate in the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1911. While in Iran, Rasulzade became one of the founders of the Democratic Party of Iran and began publishing its newspaper called "Iran-e Nou", which was the first modern-type newspaper in Iran's history. In 1911 he also published his book "Saadet-e bashar"(Happiness of mankind) in defense of revolution.

After Russian troops entered Iran in 1911 and put and end to Constitutional Revolution in a cooperation with British and Royal Court of Iran, Rasulzade fled to Istanbul, where he founded journal "Türk yurdu"(Land of turks), where published his famous article "Iranian Turks".

The Musavat Party

After the Amnesty Act of 1913, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Royal Romanov Dynasty. Rasulzade returned to Baku and joined the secret Musavat party, which was pan-Islamist and pan-Turkist, established in 1911 by his instructions from abroad and quickly became its chief. In 1915 he started to publish party's newspaper "Açıq Söz" (Open word) which lasted till 1918. When February Revolution happened, Musavat together with other secret political parties in Russian Empire quickly legalized and became a leading party of Caucasian Muslims after it merged with Party of Turkish Federalists headed by Nasibbey Usubbeyli. October revolution in 1917 lead to secession of Transcaucasia from Russia and Rasulzade became head of Muslim faction in the Seym, parliament of Transcaucasian Federation. After the dissolution of the Transcaucasian Federation Muslim faction re-organized into Azerbaijani National Councill and Rasulzade was elected unanimously the Head of the Azerbaijani National Council(Milli Shura) in May 1918.

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic

On May 28 1918, the Azerbaijani National Council, headed by Rasulzade, declared an independent Azerbaijan Republic. And even though Rasulzade never held any governmental post in either of the Cabinets of Ministers, as an active member of the Parliament he remained a kind of ideological leader of the newly-formed state until its collapse in May 1920. Rasulzade was also involved in the establishment of the State University in Baku in 1919.

After the collapse of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in April 1920, Rasulzade left Baku and went into hiding in the mountaneous village of Lahij to direct the resistance to Sovietization, but in August 1920, after soviet army crashed the rebellions of Ganja, Karabakh, Zagatala and Lankaran, lead by ex-officers of Azerbaijani army, Rasulzade was arrested and brought to Baku. It was only due to his earlier rescue of Joseph Stalin in 1905 that Rasulzade was released and taken from Baku. For the next two years, Rasulzade worked as the press representative at the Commissariat on Nations in Moscow. He was seconded to St.Petersbourg in 1922 from where escaped to Finland and never returned.

Exile

In August 1920, Rasulzade was arrested by the Soviets. It was only due to his old friendship with Joseph Stalin, dating back to their revolutionary activity in tsarist Russia that Rasulzade was released and taken from Baku. For the next two years, Rasulzade worked as the press representative at the Commissioner on Nations in Moscow. He was seconded to Finland in 1922 and never returned. For the rest of his life, Rasulzade lived as an exile in Poland (1938), Romania (1940) and finally, after World War II, in Ankara Turkey in . He died in 1955 and was buried in Esri cemetery in Ankara.

Major works

• "The Lights in the Darkness"(play)
• "Saadet-e Bashar"
• "Iranian Turks"
• "Caucasian Turks"
• "Sayavush of Our Century"
• "Political Situation in Russia"
• "Azerbaijani Poet Nezami"
• "Azerbaijan Republic: Formation, Past and Present"
• "Azerbaijan Republic"
• etc

References

1. Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Azerbaijan Government 1918-1920. Baku, "Youth", 1990. page 25 lines 3-11 from above
2. Pan-Turkism: From Irrendentism to Coopersation by Jacob M. Landau P.55
3. On the Religious Frontier: Tsarist Russia and Islam in the Caucasus by Firouzeh Mostashari P. 144

External links

• M. A. Rasulzade from Azerbaijan International
• Mammad Amin Rasulzade - Founding Father of the First Republic from Azerbaijan International
• Leader's Page

• 1884 births
• 1955 deaths
• Azerbaijani politicians