Azerbaijan People's Government (1945–1946) · Hokumat-e Khodmokhtar-e Azarbayjan

Culture of origin: Azerbaijani · Historical

Holiday sources: Azerbaijani · Iran

Reza Shah had banned Azerbaijani in schools, theatre and print. Under Soviet occupation, Ja'far Pishevari's Azerbaijani Democratic Party, formed in 1945 on Stalin's orders, took over the province, and on 21 Azar 1324 (12 December 1945) its government was formed in Tabriz, with Azerbaijani as the official language. After the Soviet withdrawal the government fell on 21 Azar 1325 (12 December 1946) as the Iranian army reached Tabriz. Crowds turned on the party and about 500 of its supporters were killed (a British source gave 421); the state tried and jailed hundreds more and hanged scores, Azerbaijani-language textbooks were burned in public in Tabriz, and Pishevari fled to the Soviet Union.