In 1956 two events took place in Baku. One was in a courtroom: Mir Jafar Baghirov, who had decided the fate of the republic for almost twenty years, sat in the dock. The other was in a session of the Supreme Soviet: a provision was added to the Constitution — Azerbaijani is the state language. Both had the same root: after Stalin’s death the system had begun to loosen. The question is how far the loosening went and where the limits of national revival were drawn. (See «The post-war decade: economy, totalitarian rule and deportation».)
After Stalin’s death: why the system loosened
Stalin died on 5 March 1953. In the struggle for power Lavrenti Beria was arrested; Baghirov, regarded as his close ally, was dismissed the same year from the post of First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party. In February 1956, at the 20th Congress of the CPSU, Nikita Khrushchev criticised Stalin’s «cult of personality». In the same year a trial held in Baku sentenced Baghirov to death and he was shot.
The Thaw (Khrushchev’s thaw)Definition
The period after Stalin’s death (1953) when mass repression stopped, the cult of personality was criticised and cultural life had relative freedom. The thaw did not change the nature of the system: one-party rule and control by the centre remained.
Imam Mustafayev (1954–1959)
After a short transitional period, Imam Mustafayev was elected First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party in 1954. The 1956 addition to the Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR belongs to his years in office: Azerbaijani was declared the state language of the republic. It gave the mother tongue a legal basis in administration, schools and the press.
In 1959 Mustafayev was removed from office. Historians do not agree on the reasons for his departure: some authors point to Moscow’s displeasure with his cadre and cultural policy. In the Soviet system the coming and going of republic leaders was controlled by the leadership of the CPSU, so national interests could be supported only within the frame set by the centre.
Vali Akhundov (1959–1969)
In 1959 Vali Akhundov became First Secretary and led the republic until 1969. The 1956 state-language provision stayed in force in his years: the legal basis of the national revival was kept and was later fixed in the 1978 Constitution as well. In 1964 Khrushchev’s era ended and the era of Leonid Brezhnev began in the USSR.
In 1967 the Baku Metro opened. On 14 July 1969 a plenum of the Central Committee of the Azerbaijan Communist Party elected Heydar Aliyev First Secretary (see «Social and economic growth in the 1970s–1980s: the leadership of Heydar Aliyev»; the 1978 Constitution is explained there too).
| Leader | Years | Events of the period |
|---|---|---|
| Mir Jafar Baghirov | 1933–1953 | Repressions of 1937–1938; 1945 Academy of Sciences; 1948–1953 deportation; 1949 Neft Dashlari |
| Imam Mustafayev | 1954–1959 | 1956: the state-language article; the thaw; removed in 1959 |
| Vali Akhundov | 1959–1969 | 1967: the Baku Metro; from 1964 the Brezhnev era in the USSR; the state-language provision in force |
| Heydar Aliyev | from 14.07.1969 | the topic of the next lesson |
Science and education: the war years and after
Cultural life did not stop even in the war years: in 1944 the anthem of the Azerbaijan SSR appeared (its music is by U. Hajibeyli), and in January 1945, on the basis of the Azerbaijan branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR was founded. It brought together research in oil and geology, chemistry, history, linguistics and literary studies; its first president was Mir Asadulla Mirgasimov.
After the war the school network was restored: seven-year compulsory schooling was introduced in 1949, and from the end of the 1950s the transition to eight-year schooling began. The main centre of higher education was Baku State University, founded in 1919. A full survey of literature, music (U. Hajibeyli, G. Garayev, F. Amirov, Niyazi), fine art and cinema is in the lesson «Culture in the 1940s–1980s».
- 1945
The Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR is founded
- 1949
Seven-year compulsory schooling is introduced
- 5 March 1953
Death of Stalin
- 1953
Baghirov is dismissed as First Secretary
- 1954
Imam Mustafayev is elected First Secretary
- 1956
The 20th Congress of the CPSU criticises the cult of personality
- 1956
Baghirov is shot after the trial
- 1956
Azerbaijani is declared the state language in the Constitution
- 1959
Mustafayev is removed; Vali Akhundov becomes First Secretary
- 1964
The Brezhnev era begins in the USSR
- 1967
The Baku Metro
- 14 July 1969
Heydar Aliyev is elected First Secretary
| Cause | Result |
|---|---|
| Stalin’s death and Beria’s arrest (1953) | Baghirov dismissed as First Secretary (1953) |
| Criticism of the cult of personality at the 20th Congress (1956) | The thaw deepens; Baghirov’s trial and execution in Baku (1956) |
| The conditions of the thaw, the growing role of national cadres and public opinion | 1956: the state-language article in the Constitution |
| One view: Moscow’s displeasure with Mustafayev’s cadre and cultural policy (debated) | 1959: Mustafayev is removed |
| The decision of the plenum of the Azerbaijan Communist Party Central Committee (14 July 1969) | Heydar Aliyev is elected First Secretary |
| Feature | Mustafayev | Akhundov |
|---|---|---|
| Years | 1954–1959 | 1959–1969 |
| Best-known step | 1956: the state-language article | 1967: the Baku Metro |
| Leader of the USSR | Nikita Khrushchev | Khrushchev (until 1964), then Leonid Brezhnev |
| Common feature | First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party after Stalin; the state-language article was in force | First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party after Stalin; the state-language article was in force |
Source and exam-type tasks
Source (adapted): on an addition to the Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR, based on the account in the school textbook.
The Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR added a provision to the Constitution: Azerbaijani is the state language of the republic. The decision was adopted after Stalin’s death, Baghirov’s departure from office and the criticism of the past at the congress in Moscow, in the conditions of the thaw.
The addition gave the mother tongue a legal basis, but the foundations of the political system — one-party rule and control by the centre — did not change. The head of the republic at that time was the First Secretary of the Central Committee.
Source tasks
Problem
1) What addition does the text concern, in which year was it adopted and who led the republic at that time? Name them.
2) Give two political events that made the adoption of this step possible.
3) Write two consequences of this step that the text does not state.
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Solution
2) From the text: the thaw in the political regime after Stalin’s death; Baghirov’s departure from office; the criticism of the past (the cult of personality) at the congress in Moscow. Two events — 1; one event — ½.
3) For example: the legal position of the mother tongue in schools and the press grew stronger; the state-language status was kept in later years, in the 1978 Constitution as well. Marks: two consequences — 1; one — ½.
Chronology
Problem
Arrange the events in chronological order:
1. Mustafayev is removed from office
2. Foundation of the Academy of Sciences
3. Opening of the Baku Metro
4. Adoption of the state-language article
5. Baghirov is dismissed
A) 2, 5, 4, 1, 3 B) 2, 4, 5, 1, 3 C) 5, 2, 4, 1, 3 D) 2, 5, 1, 4, 3 E) 2, 5, 4, 3, 1
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Solution
Step 2: place the earliest (2) and the latest (3) events: A, B, D start with 2 and end with 3, while C and E break one of the ends. Among A, B, D check the middle: 5 (1953), then 4 (1956), then 1 (1959).
Answer: A.
Combination
Problem
Which belong to the period of Vali Akhundov’s leadership (1959–1969)?
1. Opening of the Baku Metro
2. Adoption of the state-language article
3. The start of the Brezhnev era in the USSR
4. Baghirov is dismissed
5. Baghirov is shot
A) 1, 2 B) 1, 3 C) 2, 4 D) 3, 4, 5 E) 1, 3, 5
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Solution
Step 2: only 1967 and 1964 fall in 1959–1969, that is 1 and 3. Statements 2, 4 and 5 come before Akhundov (1953–1956).
Step 3: drop the options containing 2, 4 or 5 (A, C, D, E).
Answer: B.
«Not related»
Problem
Which does NOT belong to the period of Imam Mustafayev’s leadership (1954–1959)?
A) election as First Secretary in 1954
B) declaring Azerbaijani the state language
C) the thaw in the political regime
D) the mass repressions of 1937–1938
E) removal from office in 1959
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Solution
Step 2: 1937–1938 belongs to Baghirov’s time, while Stalin was alive.
Answer: D.
Remember
- After Stalin’s death (1953) the political regime began to loosen, but one-party rule and the centre’s control remained.
- Baghirov was dismissed in 1953 and shot in 1956 on the verdict of a court in Baku.
- Under Imam Mustafayev (1954–1959), in 1956, Azerbaijani was declared the state language in the Constitution; in 1959 he was removed (the reasons are debated).
- Under Vali Akhundov (1959–1969) the Baku Metro opened (1967); from 1964 the Brezhnev era began in the USSR; on 14 July 1969 Heydar Aliyev was elected First Secretary.
- In 1945 the Academy of Sciences was founded; after the war the school network was restored and seven-year compulsory schooling was introduced in 1949.