On March 3, 1917, in the aftermath of the February Revolution, Russia's Provisional Government assigned civil governance of the South Caucasus to the newly-formed Special Transcaucasian Committee (OZAKOM). Comprising State Duma deputies, this body represented the diverse nationalities of the region. Its notable members included M. I. Papadjanov (Dashnaktsutyun party), M. Y. Jafarov (Musavat party), K. G. Abashidze (social-federalists), and Socialist Revolutionary P. N. Pereverzev. Shortly after its formation, A. Chkhenkeli replaced P. Pereverzev by order of Prime Minister Lvov. Tasked with industrial and trade oversight, M. Y. Jafarov played a key role in the committee's mission to firmly establish governance in the South Caucasus based on the Provisional Government's principles announced on March 6, 1917.

OZAKOM was immediately met with criticism for not adequately representing the Transcaucasian nationalities and lacking mass trust, particularly due to its evasion on agrarian issues.

The political landscape was divided, with parties and their leaders disagreeing on the organization of the new government. The Mensheviks favored a system mirroring the central government, promoting cooperation between revolutionary democracy organs and bourgeois representatives. In contrast, the Socialist Revolutionaries argued for the Provisional Government's local organs to be controlled by the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. Initially siding with the Socialist Revolutionaries, the Bolsheviks later shifted towards advocating for their own rise to power.
    
The aspirations of the Azerbaijani people in this revolutionary context were highlighted at the Caucasus Muslims' Congress in Baku (April 15-20, 1917), where the establishment of a democratic republic was advocated to best serve Muslim interests. The 1917 revolutionary wave in Russia significantly impacted the South Caucasus, intensifying the political struggle and testing the capacities of competing entities. This period saw the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks at odds, with the latter, alongside the Socialist Revolutionary-Menshevik bloc, striving to gain mass support.
    
Following the February Revolution, Azerbaijan's national movement evolved, becoming more politically oriented and inclusive, rallying diverse social groups around the goal of national statehood.

The Muslim National Council, formed in Baku with branches in various cities and districts, championed this movement, advocating democratic principles and uniting the Muslim population around national parties and organizations, notably "Hummet," "Adalat," and "Birlik." "Musavat" played a significant role in the national liberation movement, urging all democratic forces to support the creation of a national Azerbaijani state.

The Bolsheviks' armed uprising on October 25, 1917, led to the Provisional Government's downfall. The Second Congress of Soviets, convening in Smolny on October 25-26, 1917, adopted decrees on peace and land, laying the groundwork for Soviet power under Lenin's leadership. In response to the Bolsheviks seizing power, the Baku Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies convened an extraordinary meeting on October 27, 1917. Despite Bolshevik opposition, a coalition of Mensheviks, Socialist Revolutionaries, and Dashnaks established the Committee of Public Safety, asserting its authority in Baku.

Refusing to concede, the Bolsheviks sought wider support, and by November 2, the Executive Committee of the Baku Provincial Soviet was recognized as the supreme authority. The formation of a new Executive Committee, chaired by S. Shaumyan, marked the Bolsheviks' dominance in Baku, capitalizing on the discord among their adversaries.

On November 11, 1917, representatives from the Social Democratic Party of Georgia (Mensheviks), "Musavat," Dashnaktsutyun, and the right-wing Socialist Revolutionaries, convened in Tiflis, rejected the Bolshevik government's authority, and opted to establish an "Independent Transcaucasian Government."

This led to the formation of the Transcaucasian Commissariat on November 15, 1917, signifying the end of the Special Transcaucasian Committee's activities.

Recommended literature:

1. Azərbaycan qəzeti: 1918-1920 / ADA Universiteti; translit.: M. Gəncəli, A. Ağaoğlu; elmi red. T. Kərimli; ön sözün müəl. H. M. Paşayev.- Bakı: Prestige çap evi, 2021.- 104 s.
2. Azərbaycan Cümhuriyyəti - 100 / A. İsgəndərov [et al.]; elmi red. F. Əhmədova; "İçərişəhər" Dövlət Tarix-Memarlıq Qoruğu İdarəsi.- Bakı: Elm və təhsil, 2018.- 520 s.
3. Azərbaycan Xalq Cümhuriyyəti Ensiklopediyası: 2 cilddə / red. heyəti Y. M. Mahmudov [et al.]; baş red. Y. M. Mahmudov II cild.- Bakı: Lider nəşriyyat, 2005.- 472 s. 
   Balayev, Aydın Hüseynağa oğlu. Azərbaycan Cümhuriyyətinin doğuşu: 1917-1918-ci illər milli mücadilə / A. H. Balayev.- Bakı: JekoPrint ÇE, 2022.- 368 s.
4. Zaqafqaziya Seyminin müsəlman fraksiyası və Azərbaycan Milli Şurası iclaslarının protokolları 1918-ci il / Azərbaycan Respublikasının Milli Arxiv İdarəsi; məsul red. A. Ə. Paşayev.- Bakı: Adiloğlu, 2006.- 216 s.