Rasulzade Mahammad Amin Alekbar oglu was born on January 31, 1884 in a township Novkhani, near Baku in a family of the mullah. In spite of being religious, the father of Mahammad Amin sent him to the Russian-Tatar school to get secular education. The director of that school was S. M. Hanizade. Having finished that school, Mammad Amin continued his study in the Baku technical college, where in 1902 he founded a youth study group named the "Muslim Youth Organization". In 1903 his first article about purity of the native language was issued in the “Shargi-Rus” ("The Russian East") newspaper. For that period that was the only one newspaper published in the Turkic language in Russia.

In 1904 together with Mirhasan Movsumov and Mammad Hasan Hajinski he founded the Muslim social democratic organization "Hummet" which has become autonomous part of RSDRP. He was the editor-in-chief of such party newspapers as “Hummet”, “Tekyamul”, and “Yoldash”. He also wrote some articles for such nonparty newspapers as “Irshad” and “Tereggi”, published by Ahmad bey Aghayev. During the revolution of 1905 Rasulzade actively cooperated with the Caucasian Bolsheviks — Stalin, Narimanov, Azizbekov. In connection with his revolutionary activity he was under police observation.

Besides doing some political works, Rasulzade wrote poetry and plays. In 1908 his play "Garanligda Ishiglar"("Fires in the darkness") was put on the stage and at the same time the work on the other play — "Unexpected trouble" was also complete.

After the first Russian revolution’s defeat M.A.Rasulzade had to emigrate to Iran.

He continued his revolutionary activity in Iran, having become the active participant of the revolutionary movement against the regime of Shakh. In 1910, M.A.Rasulzade together with S.G.Tagizade, G.Navvab, S.Mirza and other well known Iranian intellectuals set up the Iranian Democratic Party. The same year he starts issuing the newspaper "Iran-e Now", thereby having laid the foundation for the press of the European type in Iran.

At the same time Rasulzade was actively engaged in publicistic activity. Due to his publications he created the historical chronicle of the revolutionary struggle in Baku and Tabriz, and also in the Middle East and in Russia. He wrote more than 250 articles on this subject, and the most part of the material was devoted to the Iranian revolution.

During his stay in Iran M.A.Rasulzade collected a rich material on the basis of which, he subsequently wrote research work "The Iranian Turkic peoples", published by parts in the “Turk Yurdu” magazine ("The Turkic Fatherland") in 1911-1912.

The period of the Russian revolution of 1905-1907 was, in M.A.Rasulzade's judgment, a transition period from the national and cultural movement to the political struggle for the national rights. It was a struggle for cancellation of the discrimination laws limiting the rights of the Russian Muslims, but not for the idea of national freedom. Later this idea appeared in Rasulzade’s articles named the "National revival".
The imperial authorities anxious with vigorous political and publicistic activity of Rasulzade, which was directed on weakening of the Russian influence on Iran, demanded from the Teheran authorities to expel him from the country immediately. In 1911terms required of Rasulzade to emigrate to Turkey.

In 1913 after the amnesty announcement on the occasion of the 300 anniversary of the Romanovs’ dynasty, he returned to Baku. He left the old party "Hummet" and became a founder of the new party "Musavat" ("Equality"), which combined the ideas of panturkism, pan-Islam and socialism. Since 1915 he headed the “Achig Sez” ("the Clear Word") newspaper’s edition, which was actually a body of the “Musavat” party. He also supported absolute war and expansion of the rights and freedom of the Transcaucasian Muslims.

Later on, February revolution of 1917, he participated in work of the Caucasian Muslim congress which took place in Baku, in April, and the first All-Russian Muslim congress, which has taken place in Moscow, in May of 1917. According to Rasulzade’s offer the resolution on the necessity of the federal organization of Russia was accepted.

In June 1917, after the amalgamation of “Musavat” party with Turkic party of federalists, at the 1st congress of Turkic democratic federal party "Musavat" (on October 26-31, Baku) Rasulzade was elected the chairman of the Central Committee. In the program accepted by the congress it was said that the federal democratic republic based on the principles of a national and territorial autonomy has to be a form of government system of Russia.

He was elected a member of the All-Russian Constituent Assembly, and after the termination of its work by Bolsheviks on January 6, 1918 he moved to Tbilisi and became a member of the Transcaucasian Seim, which has proclaimed independence of Transcaucasia. Later he headed the National Council of Azerbaijan which has declared the foundation of the independent Azerbaijan Republic existed from 1918 to 1920. Rasulzade is the founder of the Baku State University (BSU).

After the takeover of Azerbaijan by Bolshevist armies in April, 1920 he managed to hide himself for some time in the mountainous Lagich, but on August 17, in the town of Garamaryam, near Geychay he was arrested and brought to Baku.

In the fall of 1920 I.Stalin was sent to a long trip on Rostov-Vladikavkaz-Baku-Dagestan route.

In the first days of November he arrived to Baku for participation in celebrations concerning the anniversary of October revolution and in works of conference of the Baku city council.

In the name of Narkomat, dealing with nationalities of RSFSR, he gave the order to the chief of the special department of the XI Army V. Pankratov to release M.A.Rasulzade. And something an unprecedented happened then: I.Stalin personally went to the “Bailov” prison, where once he also languished himself, got out M.A.Rasulzade and took him away with himself to Moscow.

On arrival to Moscow M.A.Rasulzade with the help of Stalin got a job of the commissioner of the press problems in the Commissariat dealing with nationalities.

At the same time he taught the Persian language at the Moscow institute of oriental studies subordinated to the Narcomat. In the Narcomat body - the “New East” magazine - in N1 for 1922 the announcement was given that in the following issue the article of M.A.Rasulzade "Communists of Ancient Iran" would be placed. But probably, in connection with unexpected emigration of Rasulzade from the Soviet Russia, that article didn't come out.

In a number of sources mentioned, that it were well-known Tatar politician M. Bigiyev and the “Musavat” party’s members, who arranged Mammad Amin’s escape from Petrograd to Finland and from there to Turkey.

After two years of free life and the next two years of life under the Soviet press M.A.Rasulzade, who was the founder of the first republic in the East, began to live a life of the emigrant in Turkey.

For a long period of emigrant life M.A.Rasulzade was connected with the Republic of Turkey.

In 1923, several months before the declaration of the Republic of Turkey, in Istanbul, Mammad Amin’s the "Azerbaijan Republic" work came out. This work contained the description of the historical way passed by the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. But for the Turkish public this book was most welcome, because it promoted distribution and strengthening of republican ideas in Turkey.

On "A book holiday" in Izmir this work of M.A.Rasulzade was appreciated by the highest award. This book received a good rating in the opening speech, written by Ali bey Huseynzade. Huseynzade also foretold that at the forthcoming book fair in Izmir the book of Rasulzade would get a high award.

In 1924 M.A.Rasulzade founded in Turkey the National center of Azerbaijan which primary aim was consolidation of the Azerbaijani political emigration in the struggle against Bolshevist occupation and restoration of the state independence of Azerbaijan.

He also set up and headed the “Foreign” bureau of “Musavat” party. The bureau started to publish "The New Caucasus" almanac, which was the main propagandistic mouthpiece of the both organizations.

The activity of M.A.Rasulzade in a new field received a wide response both in Turkey, and in the Caucasus and among Russian Turkic peoples.

Results of his works became so noticeable that according to I.Stalin's order the intelligence services and the bodies of the USSR propaganda gave a start to a total struggle against M.A.Rasulzade.

After "The New Caucasus" issue, in Istanbul under the edition of M.A.Rasulzade the following almanacs began to be published: "Azeri Turk" (1928-1931), "Odlu yurd" ("The country of fires") (1929-1930), the “Bildirish” ("Message") weekly (1929-1931). These periodical publications played a big role in the propaganda of the principles of freedom and independence.

Those years were also noticeable for M.A.Rasulzade due to his published books: in Istanbul - "Crash of a revolutionary socialism and the democracy future", "The nation and the Bolshevism", "The Caucasian Turkic peoples"; in Paris - "About a panturanizm. In connection with the Caucasian problem" (1930), in which he continued to put forward fresh ideas about the development of the nations and the construction of a new society.

In 1930 the Soviet Union and Turkey came to the confidential agreement on prohibition and dissolution of the organizations and the societies, which were responsible for counter-propaganda against each other.

Because of the reason of being in the backstage collusion M.A.Rasulzade was deported from Turkey, in 1931.

He had to spend some time in Poland, then in Germany and in some other European countries.

In the 30th Rasulzade was one of the active participants and leaders of the "Prometheus" movement, united representatives of political emigration of the non-russian people of the USSR. In the same years he issued the “Nezavisimost” (“Independense”) newspaper (1932-1934), the "Osvobozhdeniye" (1934-1938) (“Liberation”) almanac; quite often made articles in the Russian-language magazine "The Caucasus" (1932-1938) and French-speaking the "Prometheus" (1928-1939), published in Paris.

M.A.Rasulzade returned to Turkey again after World War II.

Since 1947 he headed the Azerbaijani national center in Ankara, and in 1949 founded "The Azerbaijani cultural society"; in 1952 started issuing the "Azerbaijan" almanac. He also closely cooperated with the Society of the Turkish language and the Society of the Turkish history.

On March 6, 1955 Mahammad Amin Rasulzade died in Ankara at the age of 71 year and was buried on the cemetery "Asri", in Ankara.

Recommended literature:

1. Məhəmməd Əmin Rəsulzadənin irsi müstəqillik, demokratiya və dövlətçilik dəyərləri sistemində = The Legacy of Mammad Amin Rasulzade in the Value System of Independence, Democracy and Statehood = Наследие Маммед Эмина Расулзаде в системе ценностей независимости, демократии и государственности / "Rəsulzadə ev-muzeyi" İctimai Qrupu; tərt.-red. S. Ə. Rüstəmova-Tohidi. II kitab: II Beynəlxalq Rəsulzadə Qiraətləri = The II International Readings in Memoriam of M.E. Rasulzade = III Международные чтения, посвященные М. Э. Расулзаде / A. H. Balayev, İ. Musa, T. Əliheydər [et al.].- Bakı: Təhsil NPM, 2024.- 864 s.
2. Ələkbərli, Faiq Qəzənfər oğlu. Məhəmməd Əmin Rəsulzadənin sosial-fəlsəfi görüşləri: milli həmrəylik və azərbaycançılıq: monoqrafiya / F. Q. Ələkbərli; elmi red. M. Süleymanlı.- Bakı: Elm və təhsil, 2022.- 414 s.
3. Balayev, Aydın Hüseynağa oğlu. Məmməd Əmin Rəsulzadə: qürbətdə Vətən davası: 1922-1943 / A. H. Balayev; elmi red. G. Mamulia.- Bakı: Pergament, 2019.- 200 s.
4. Rəsulzadə, Məhəmməd Əmin Ələkbər oğlu. Azərbaycan Cümhuriyyəti / M. Ə. Rəsulzadə; tərt. Y. S. Türkel.- Bakı, 2015.- 152 s.
5. Balayev, Aydın Hüseynağa oğlu. Məmməd Əmin Rəsulzadə: 1884-1955 / A. H. Balayev; elmi red. M. N. Quboqlo.- Bakı: Çıraq, 2012.- 288 s.