The Fall of the Azerbaijan People’s Government
By May 1946, Soviet troops began withdrawing from northern Iran. This development left the Azerbaijan People’s Government vulnerable to an imminent crackdown by the central government. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, determined to restore control over the region, ordered a military offensive.
In December 1946, the Iranian army launched an operation to reclaim Azerbaijan. Without Soviet military protection, the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan and its government quickly collapsed. Pishevari and other leaders fled to the Soviet Union, where he later died under mysterious circumstances. Many party members and supporters faced persecution, imprisonment, and execution by the Iranian government.
The fall of the Azerbaijan People’s Government marked the end of the most significant separatist movement in Iranian Azerbaijan. The Iranian government reasserted its authority, banning the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan and reversing many of its policies. Azerbaijani Turkish was once again marginalized in schools, and land reforms were halted. The suppression of the movement sent a strong message to other separatist and regional movements within Iran.
The Iran Crisis and the Cold War
The events surrounding the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan People’s Government became known as the Iran Crisis of 1946. This crisis was one of the first major confrontations between the Soviet Union and Western-aligned states after World War II. The United States played a crucial role in pressuring the Soviet Union to withdraw from Iran, marking an early instance of Cold War diplomacy.
The Iran Crisis demonstrated the geopolitical importance of Iran and foreshadowed future Cold War conflicts in the Middle East. The failure of the Azerbaijan People’s Government also reinforced the centralization of power under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who later implemented policies aimed at curbing Soviet influence in Iran.