republic · Mesopotamia and Iran

Azerbaijan People's Government

1945 CE – 1946 CE · capital Tabriz

A Soviet-backed autonomous government in Iranian Azerbaijan in 1945 to 1946, whose fall was one of the first crises of the Cold War.

Origins

Soviet troops occupied northern Iran in 1941. In September 1945 the Azerbaijan Democratic Party was founded in Tabriz under Ja'far Pishevari, a veteran communist, with Soviet encouragement. In November and December 1945 it held elections to a national assembly and formed a government in Tabriz, while Soviet forces prevented Iranian troops from intervening.

Rule and society

The government declared autonomy within Iran rather than full independence. It made Azerbaijani Turkic the official language of schools and administration, founded a university in Tabriz, began land distribution and organised its own militia. It ruled with the support of the Soviet Union, whose troops remained in Iran beyond the agreed withdrawal date, leading to the Iran crisis of 1946 at the new United Nations.

Decline and legacy

After Prime Minister Ahmad Qavam promised the Soviets an oil concession, Soviet troops withdrew in May 1946. In December 1946 the Iranian army entered Tabriz, the government collapsed and Pishevari fled to the Soviet Union, where he died in 1947.

Lineage

Pahlavi Iran 1925 CE – 1979 CEAzerbaijan People's Government

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Azerbaijan People's Government. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/azerbaijan-peoples-government
MLA
“Azerbaijan People's Government.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/azerbaijan-peoples-government. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Azerbaijan People's Government.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/azerbaijan-peoples-government.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Azerbaijan People's Government’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/azerbaijan-peoples-government (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻