Islam, nationalism and socialism in the parties and political organisations of Azerbaijani Muslims in the early twentieth century

Abstract

Political organisations first appeared among the Muslims of Transcaucasia against the historical backdrop of the 1905 revolution in the Russian Empire, and Armeno-Tatar violence in 1905-1906. Since the restoration of Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991, post- Soviet Azerbaijani historiography has distanced itself from working on the socialist parties of this era, focusing instead on the Azerbaijani nationalist parties. Based on a new reading of police reports that constitute the main source of information on these political parties, this article aims to provide a better understanding of the activities of the Difai party. Usually referred as the “Karabakh committee”, Difai established armed militias, recommended sharia law and pursued a reformist agenda in the field of education. Appearing to have been simultaneously a group of interests, a lobby of notables, and a revolutionary organisation, it was the only one enjoying a certain popular base from 1906 and 1908. During these years and beyond, Transcaucasian deputies were participating in the Russian Empire’s political life through State Dumas and the Union of Russian Muslims. If parties all but disappeared from local life after 1908, many of their leaders continued to participate in the social and cultural life of Transcaucasia; others emigrated to become activists in Iran and the Ottoman Empire. The February 1917 revolution opened the way to a reactivation of political organisations and the devising of platforms with new combinations of Islam, nationalism and socialism.