After the end of World War II, the increasingly deepening contradictions among the former allies, primarily between the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, were also reflected in their policies toward Iran.  They attempted to bring various forces to power in Iran in line with their interests. Reactionary circles in Tehran, in cooperation with enemies of the national democratic movement, organized clashes among different groups within the population.

The course of events compelled Azerbaijani democrats to resort to defensive measures. In September 1945, armed volunteer units - fedayeen (fedayeen were members of armed detachments that were the main driving force of the revolution) began to form in various parts of Azerbaijan. The fedayeen groups repelled attacks by bandit groups and ensured the safety of cities, towns, and villages. In some areas, they established temporary administrative bodies to address important economic, social, and cultural issues.

However, to protect the national democratic movement from attacks by the reactionary central government, democrats needed to unite more closely. On September 3, 1945, a group of prominent Azerbaijani democrats, led by Seyid Jafar Pishevari, issued a statement announcing the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP). This statement outlined the principles of the party's program, including granting administrative, economic, and cultural autonomy to Azerbaijan within the state of Iran, the democratization of political life in Iran, and the implementation of socio-economic reforms in line with the interests of the broad masses. Additionally, the statement aimed to achieve national solidarity, condemned the extremist actions of workers and peasants against entrepreneurs and emphasized the need for socio-economic reforms to be implemented gradually for the benefit of society as a whole. It also guaranteed equal rights for all residents of Azerbaijan, regardless of nationality or religion.
   
The process of the national democratic and liberation movement in South Azerbaijan was closely monitored by J. V. Stalin. He was insistent on the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party and on Seyid Jafar Pishevari leading the organization. Stalin also gave instructions to M.J. Bagirov regarding the material and moral support of the movement. In August 1945, Pishevari had a meeting with M.J. Bagirov in Soviet Azerbaijan. Despite being cautious of Soviet duplicity, Pishevari, after much hesitation, agreed to seize this rare opportunity provided by history for the Azerbaijani people.
      
The first conference of the founders of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party was held on September 13. The conference set up an 11-member Committee of Founders and decided to convene the first congress of the party shortly. The establishment of the ADP and its program were welcomed by various segments of the population. Within a few weeks, thousands of workers and peasants, intellectuals, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, and even some landowners joined the party.
 
Northern Azerbaijan's influence and role were of decisive importance in the cultural development of Southern Azerbaijan. The newspapers “Veten Yolunda” (Tabriz) and “Gizil Asker” (Urmia) published in Tabriz from October 11, 1941, played a significant role in shaping the literary language. These publications were in Azerbaijani Turkish and were intended for Azerbaijani officers and soldiers stationed in Soviet military units in Southern Azerbaijan.

The first tour performances of the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater in Tabriz in mid-October 1941 played a significant role in strengthening cultural ties between Northern and Southern Azerbaijan. Other cultural collectives from Azerbaijan, including drama theaters, music and dance ensembles, and prominent figures in literature, art, education, and science, would visit Southern Azerbaijan to hold concerts and performances and deliver lectures. Despite the Soviet state's expansionist policies in Iran, including in Southern Azerbaijan, the determination of Azerbaijanis to expand these cultural connections remained strong. During the war years, a generation of young writers and poets who wrote in the Azerbaijani language emerged.

On October 2–4, 1945, the congress of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party was held. The Congress adopted the main provisions of the party's September 3 declaration as its program and charter. The Central Committee of the party, headed by S. J. Pishevari, was elected.

In response to the central government's large-scale armed assault on the democratic movement, the ADP openly began forming fedayeen detachments. From November 17 to early December, governing bodies were established in the cities of Maragha, Maku, Marand, Sarab, Ardabil, Astara, and Zanjan, followed by other regions of Southern Azerbaijan.

Power had already been in the hands of the democrats in Tabriz, since early October. Several officers of the government troops switched sides to support the new administration. Although central government structures remained in some places, the population mainly turned to the new authorities. 

On November 21, the Azerbaijan People's Congress was convened. Declaring itself the Constituent Assembly, the Congress demanded the formation of the National Assembly (Milli Majlis) and the establishment of a National Government through general elections. According to the decision of the Constituent Assembly, the National Government was to operate within the framework of Iranian statehood while ensuring the national-cultural autonomy of Azerbaijan. Elections were held in Southern Azerbaijan from November 27 to December 1, during which the population voted for ADP candidates. On December 12, the National Assembly convened and formed the National Government, headed by Seyid Jafar Pishevari. 
  
With the establishment of the National Government, the third phase of the democratic movement in Southern Azerbaijan—nation-building—began. The primary task of the National Government was to create new administrative-territorial bodies. To achieve this, the National Assembly passed a law on elections for provincial, district, city, town, and village anjumans (Anjuman is a body of local government, city or regional self-government in Iran, an elected revolutionary body). These elections were held in January and February 1946, marking the beginning of the formation of the corresponding structures.

One of the key demands of the democratic movement was the implementation of social and economic reforms in favor of the working class. On February 16, 1946, the National Government adopted an agrarian law. According to this law, state-owned “free” lands, as well as the lands of landlords and other proprietors who had fled Azerbaijan or continued to oppose it, were redistributed among peasants. Special committees were established to put the reforms into practice. As a result of the reforms, more than half a million hectares of land were given to peasants. Several other laws were also enacted to develop industry and trade, finance the economy and improve the tax system in Azerbaijan.
 
The greatest achievement of the National Government was the "Law on Language," adopted by the National Assembly on January 6, 1946. According to this law, the Azerbaijani language was declared the official state language throughout Azerbaijan. Administrative and organizational work, as well as teaching in schools, was conducted in the native language. The rights of national minorities living in Azerbaijan to receive education in their own languages were preserved. In a short time, the publication of textbooks, various literature, newspapers, and magazines in the native language began, along with the organization of radio broadcasts. Dozens of libraries and reading rooms were established, and hundreds of new schools were opened in rural areas. Various creative unions and organizations, as well as museums, were founded. All these initiatives created conditions for a national cultural revolution and strengthened the democratic movement.

The successes of the national democratic movement in Southern Azerbaijan caused great alarm among the ruling circles in Tehran. The Iranian government started negotiations with the National Government to deceive the people. A treaty was signed in Tabriz in June 1946. To reach an agreement, the National Government had to make significant concessions. According to the treaty, the National Government of Azerbaijan accepted the status of the Azerbaijani provincial anjuman. At the same time, the Tehran government launched a broad campaign in the media and parliament, accusing the Azerbaijani democrats of separatism. Simultaneously, Tehran exploited the contradictions between the USA, the UK, and the USSR, bringing the “Iranian issue” to the UN for discussion. It also secured agreements from the USA and the UK to provide political and military assistance to Iran. To gain the “neutrality” of the Soviet government, Ahmad Gavam (the Prime Minister of Iran) traveled to Moscow to meet with Stalin. As a result of the negotiations, the Soviet government was granted the right to explore and extract oil in Northern Iran, including Southern Azerbaijan. Although a treaty was signed in Tehran on April 4, 1946, the parliament did not approve it.  

Following this, at the request of the UN Security Council, the withdrawal of Soviet military forces from Iran was expedited and completed by May 8.

After all these preparations were completed, the Iranian government issued an ultimatum to the provincial anjuman, stating that to ensure order in the upcoming parliamentary elections, military forces must be deployed to Azerbaijan. In reality, this was an armed invasion of Azerbaijan. Consequently, from December 1, bloody battles broke out between the central government forces, who launched attacks in several directions, and the fedayeen. Despite the significant military and technical superiority of the government forces, the National Government's troops launched counterattacks on the Zanjan, Mianeh, and Maragha fronts, dealing blows to the enemy. However, the National Government issued orders to halt the fighting to prevent mass bloodshed and the threat of civil war. Advancing unopposed, the Iranian army entered Tabriz on December 12. Thousands were shot and arrested. Mass persecutions began. Peasants, workers, intellectuals, and many entrepreneurs who had shown some political activity during the National Government's rule were persecuted. Leaders of the ADP and the National Government were executed by shooting or hanging. Activists of the movement were exiled to Iran's southern regions. To escape punishment, tens of thousands of patriots were forced to emigrate, with many fleeing to the Azerbaijan SSR. All the achievements made during the one year of popular rule were destroyed. Tabriz University, the Philharmonic, and other cultural institutions were closed, books and textbooks in the native language were burned.

The leader of the movement, Seyid Jafar Pishevari, was forcibly brought to the Soviet Union along with his close associates on December 11, 1946. S. J. Pishevari, who insisted on returning to Iran, died as a result of a mysterious car accident in Northern Azerbaijan on July 14, 1947.  

Thus, the national liberation movement of 1941-46 was defeated. The defeat was due not only to objective internal reasons but also to external factors, primarily the policies of the USA, Great Britain, and the USSR in Iran. Although the national liberation movement in Southern Azerbaijan was defeated, it had a significant impact on the subsequent history of the country, strengthening the people's sense of their national identity, history, and culture, laying the foundation for future struggles in pursuit of these goals.

Recommended literature:

1. Rəhimli, Əkrəm Rəhim oğlu. Mübarizə burulğanlarında kecən ömür : Seyid Cəfər Pisəvəri: həyatı və ictimai-siyasi fəaliyyəti / Ə. R. Rəhimli ; elmi red.: Ş. Ə. Tağıyeva, C. P. Həsənli ; red. M. Tağıoğlu ; AMEA akad. Z.M. Bünyadov adına Şərqşünaslıq İnstitutu. - Bakı : Nurlar NPM, 2009. - 400 s.
2. Pişəvəri, Seyid Cəfər Mir Cavad oğlu. Zindan xatirələri / S. C. Pişəvəri ; tərt., elmi red. Ə. R. Rəhimli, red. Ş. Rüstəmli ; AMEA Z.M. Bünyadov adına Şərqşünaslıq İnstitutu. - Bakı : Bakı Çap Evi, 2014. - 232 s.
3. Əlizadə, Hüseyn. "21 Azər" soyqırımı : 1946-1947-ci illərdə Cənubi Azərbaycanda kütləvi qırğınlar / H. Əlizadə ; fars dilindən tərc. S. T. Dostəliyev ; elmi red.: S. Z. Bayramzadə, Ə. R. Rəhimli ; AMEA Z.M. Bünyadov adına Şərqşünaslıq İnstitutu. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2017. - 376 s.
4. 662 saylı məhbus - S.C. Pişəvəri: Seyid Cəfər Pişəvəriyə aid istintaq materialları: 1930-1940 / AMEA akad. Z.M. Bünyadov adına Şərqşünaslıq İnstitutu ; tərt., ön sözün müəl. Ə. R. Rəhimli ; elmi red. S. Bayramzadə. - Bakı : Nurlar NPM, 2019. - 184 s.
5. Rəhimli, Əkrəm Rəhim oğlu. Güney Azərbaycanda Milli-demokratik hərəkat : 1941-1946 / Ə. R. Rəhimli ; elmi red.: Ş. Tağıyeva, C. Həsənli. - Bakı : Meqa, 2003. - 208 s.
6. Pişəvəri, Seyid Cəfər Mir Cavad oğlu. Xatirələr : 1941-1945 / S. C. Pişəvəri ; tərt. Y. Kənani ; Azərbaycan Demokrat Firqəsi, İran Mühacirlər Cəmiyyəti. - Bakı : n. y., 2005. - 394 s.
7. Rəhimli, Əkrəm Rəhim oğlu. Seyid Cəfər Pişəvəri və Cənubi Azərbaycan / Ə. R. Rəhimli ; elmi red. S. Z. Bayramzadə ; ön sözün müəl. R. B. Hüseynov ; AMEA akad. Z.M. Bünyadov adına Şərqşünaslıq İnstitutu. - Əlavələrlə V nəşr. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2022. - 448 s.