Azerbaijan Declares a Republic and Gives Women the Vote

On 28 May 1918, the Azerbaijani National Council convened in Tiflis and proclaimed the creation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The dissolution of the short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, paired with the breakdown of imperial authority across the Caucasus, spurred regional delegates to assert sovereignty over the southern and eastern parts of Transcaucasia. In its founding National Charter, the nascent state declared itself a democratic republic guaranteeing complete civil and political rights to every citizen, regardless of ethnic background, religious belief, social standing, or gender.

The decision by the governing Musavat party to designate the territory north of the Aras River as Azerbaijan sparked diplomatic tensions with neighboring Iran. Prior to 1918, the name had traditionally referred to the northwestern Iranian province centered on Tabriz, while regions further north had historically been identified as Arran. Iranian authorities voiced concern that this terminology signaled an Ottoman-backed plan to detach lands from Persia. Iran and the republic later signed a friendship treaty in March 1920.