First meeting of the Parliament of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic

First meeting of the Parliament of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic held in Ganja, December 7, 1918.

Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, 1918-20

For the first time in modern history, Azerbaijan achieved self-rule. This republic, though short-lived, had many remarkable features, including universal suffrage for men and women. The government was modeled after European nations in the form of a parliamentary democracy. The ADR initially was headquartered in the northwest city of Ganja, until Azerbaijan’s largest city, Baku, was liberated from Bolshevik and Armenian occupation in September 1918. Baku’s liberation came about after the March 31, 1918, massacres of Azerbaijanis in Baku and elsewhere in the country (March 31 was celebrated in 1919-20, and has been since independence from the Soviet Union, as the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis).