AZƏRBAYCAN DEMOKRATIK RESPUBLIKASI: MILLI ŞÜURUN ISTIBDAD ÜZƏRİNDƏ ZƏFƏRI

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918–1920) emerged as the first parliamentary republic in the Muslim East and laid the foundations of modern Azerbaijani statehood. Its ideological framework rested on a triad of Turkism, Islam, and Modernity, which together shaped a unique synthesis of national identity and political modernization. Modernity was manifested through the adoption of European-inspired principles such as parliamentarism, secularism, equal citizenship, and women’s suffrage, demonstrating a commitment to democratic values while avoiding mere imitation of the West. Turkism functioned not as an exclusionary ethnonationalism, but as a civic and cultural identity rooted in language, historical memory, and collective self-awareness. It provided the legal and ideological basis for state-building while maintaining inclusivity toward ethnic and religious minorities. Islam, meanwhile, operated less as a political-theocratic system and more as an ethical and cultural framework, reinforcing social justice, solidarity, and spiritual cohesion within society. By combining these three dimensions, the ADR successfully transformed Azerbaijani society from an imperial periphery into a political subject with a distinct national identity. This triadic model continues to influence the ideological foundations of Azerbaijani statehood in the present. Keywords: Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Turkism, Islam, Modernity, national identity, statehood, political philosophy