Democratic Movement in Nakhchivan at the Beginning of the 20th Century

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century, peasant uprisings and the national liberation movement against Tsarist rule in the Nakhchivan region gradually intensified. Fearing the general movement, the Tsarist government, along with its officials and agents, began to incite ethnic massacres among different nationalities. Their goal was to instigate conflicts while pretending to seek peace between the two nations. Democratic forces active in Nakhchivan sought to make the masses understand that these massacres were orchestrated by the Tsarist government and its supporting forces. Consequently, democratic forces demanded that ethnic conflicts be transformed into a broader class struggle against Tsarism and the landlords.
The democratic forces of Nakhchivan, including Mirzali bey Bektashov (Bektashi), Mirbagir Mirheyderzade, Nasrullah Sheykhov, Heydar Mammadov, Najafgulu and Rzagulu Najafov, Mashadi Ahmad Azimov, and others, operated secretly under the revolutionary committee of the "Hümmət" organization’s Nakhchivan group, which they established in a tea house under the name "Ülfət" (Friendship). Between 1915 and 1916, the composition of the Nakhchivan "Hümmət" group changed significantly, including individuals with different ideological perspectives. One faction, led by M. Mirheyderzade, Mirzali bey Bektashi, and N. Sheykhov, continued the revolutionary traditions of "Hümmət" and fought fiercely against the autocratic regime and those responsible for bloodshed. Another group, which included Kerbalayi Gafar Agha Safaralibayov, Rauf bey Safaralibayov, Seyidali, and Alimammad Aliyev (nicknamed "Papish"), adopted a path of terrorism.