The Intervention of Aristocratic Mentality in the Political Order: The June Crisis in the Establishment of the Republic of Azerbaijan (June 16-18, 1918)

Abstract

The main subject of this article is the future plans and efforts to establish a new order by the post-revolutionary political parties representing south Caucasian Turks after 1917. The archival documents and personal notes of the politicians of the period constitute the main sources. A comparative study of the sources put forth that the political movement, which became organized rapidly under the new conjuncture posed by the Russian revolutions and participated in the Constituent Assembly elections, had evolved from a federalist point of view to an independist one. The relatively less organized political movement, which could not participate in the elections, adopted a policy of uniting with the Ottoman State. The struggle between these movements tagged as the democratic and aristocratic powers due to their political stance, experienced two important phases. The first phase, which coincided with the Trebizond and Batumi Conferences, was under the influence of the irredentist policies of the Ottoman State and resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This was considered as the victory of the first group, however the legitimacy of the legislative and executive institutions of the republic was opened to discussion by the second group paving the way to the second phase of the struggle. An agreement was reached after two days of negotiations and mutual compromises. A coalition including all sides was established after the withdrawal of the legislative institution and the government. This new institution was vested with both legislative and executive powers as the second government of Azerbaijan.