In the beginning of XXth century, Azerbaijanis were the largest ethnic group in Transcaucasia. The census of 1897 gave them over 1.7 million [1]. However, the majority of Azerbaijanis lived outside Transcaucasia, in Southern (also referred to as Iranian) Azerbaijan.

Political life practically did not exist in Azerbaijan from the time of Russian occupation in early 1800s until the beginning of XXth century. Over 80% of Azeris were peasants, about 5% were merchants [1]. Russian Viceroy of the Caucasus expressed his satisfaction with the fact that there was no separatist movement among Muslim (Azeri) masses of Transcaucasia [2]. However, the viceroy was also aware of national ideas growing in small Azeri educated class. As a tool to prevent these ideas from spreading into mostly religious masses, viceroy in his letters to the Russian Tsar proposed granting more freedom to exercise Islam among Azeris. This would increase already powerful influence of mullahs in the society, while keeping its backwardness. In Vorontsov's opinion, mullahs should be educated in Russian institutions [2], so that they could become the instruments of Russian imperialism in Caucasus.

The potential separatism of the Azerbaijanis was not the only source of trouble for Russian imperialism. In few years at the end of XIX century, the city of Baku suddenly became the world's greatest oil-producing center. Although many Azerbaijanis were peasants, few of them found employment in oil industry. Among the growing Azeri oil capitalists were H.Z. Tagiyev and Nagiyev family. The industrial boost of Baku in the beginning of XXth century also created a small but well-educated Azerbaijani middle class.

Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict

The Russian revolution of 1905 brought more disorders and strikes to already turbulent Caucasus. Riots and guerilla movements were widespread in different parts of the region, and were directed against Russian government and imperialism. But not all attacks were strictly anti-Russian in nature. The enmity between Turks and Armenians, which grew up to become almost genetic through the XXth century, fired another conflict between Armenians and Azeris, who had lived for ages in comparative peace. Although it's impossible to pin the blame on either side [1], Armenian Revolutionary Federation "Dashnaktsutiun", which became the major driver of Armenian national movement of the time, bears major portion of responsibility. Dashnaks organized bands similar to those in Turkey, which would attack Muslim (Azeri) settlements and often exterminate the populations of entire villages [3]. On the other hand, the Azeris until 1911 did not have any national organization comparable to Dashnaktsutiun, so they fought without coordination or plan.

The Russian authorites played an infamous part in Armenian-Azerbaijani riots. While having the power to prevent bloodshed, imperial establishment abstained from interfering into local feud of two nations [1]. Vorontsov-Dashkov himself admits that during the massacres of February 1905, Russian authorities remained completely inactive [3].

Hummat and Musavat

By 1905 revolution, Muslims (Azeris) of Transcaucasia began to awaken politically and to join and create various parties and societies [1]. In 1904, few young Azerbaijani intellectuals, including Nariman Narimanov, organized a Marxist Muslim Party called Hummat (Endeavour). The party was connected to Russian Social-Democratic Party and dominated by Bolsheviks [1].

At first, the influence of Hummat among Azeris was minuscule. A prominent Azerbaijani Bolshevik Efendiyev, mentions Stalin, Japaridze and Shaumian - that is, two Georgians and one Armenian - as the outstanding leaders of a Muslim party [4]. However, by 1906 Hummat became an important organization in Transcaucasia and even participated in the Iranian revolution of 1906. Later in 1907, under the oppressive measures of Russian Viceroy Vorontsov-Dashkov, and due to the fact that Hummat's objectives did not address the major concerns of Azerbaijani society, the party lost most of its influence in the region. Nevertheless, some party members continued their literary work and published several magazines in Azeri [1].

Few years after the supression of Hummat, in 1911, a group of Azerbaijani intellectuals, previously associated with Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party, established Turkic Democratic Federalist Party "Musavat" (Equality). The party addressed the issues of concern with the position of the Muslims (Azeris) in Russia. As opposed to Hummat, Musavat's programme was more appealing to the Azerbaijani masses [5]: the peasants, the landowners, the capitalists, and the intelligencia.

Despite the vague programme that unified all classes of Azeri society around a common idea of nationalism, Musavat lacked the well defined ideology. Eclectism, the lack of a systematic political philosophy, and the divesified membership of the party, permitted its critics to say that it was nothing but "two or three hundred adventurers and businessmen on top, and at the bottom the conglomeration of Tartar (ed. - Azeri) masses who have been accustomed from the beginning to carry out the orders of Khan, Bek, governor, chief, etc." [1,6]. These particular words were said by Russian rightist radical, who could not possibly be sympathetic of Azerbaijani national movement. Nevertheless, he was right that Azerbaijani peasant masses were always an obedient tool in hands of a small leading group [1]. It is also the fact that Musavat that was established under the socialist slogans, later moved in nationalist-burgeouis direction under major financial influence from wealthy landowners. But it also was Musavat that became the party of fundamental changes in Azerbaijani society and eventually succeded in achieving the independence of Azerbaijan.

[1] KAZEMZADEH, Firuz. The struggle for Transcaucasia (1917-1921). Philosophical Library Inc., New York; George Ronald, Oxford, UK, 1951

[2] VORONTSOV-DASHKOV, I. Vsepoddanneishii otchet za vesem let upravleniia Kavkazom, St. Petersburg, 1913

[3] VORONTSOV-DASHKOV, I. Vsepoddanneishaia zapiska po upravleniiu kavkazskim kraem generala adiutanta Vorontsova-Dashkova, , St. Petersburg, 1907

[4] Zhizn natsionalnostei, No. 28 (36), Moscow, July 27, 1919

[5] HUSEYNOV, M.D. Tiurkskaya Demokraticheskaya Partiia Federalistov "Musavat" v proshlom i nastoiashem. Baku, 1927.

[6] BAIKOV, B. Vospominaniia o revolutsii v Zakavkazii.