Mehmet Emin Resulzade, who stuggled for Azerbaijan's independence all of his life, was born in Novhani village of Baku on 31 January in 1884. He received his primary education in the religious school opened by his father. Then he worked as a typesetter in one of the printing houses in Baku. The printing house he worked became a life school for Emin Bey. His desire of being a writer emerged there. He wrote his first articles, his article named Bakü'den Mektup and his poem named Muhammes on a daily newspaper named Şarki Rus published by M.A.Şahtahtılı in Tiflis in 1903.
After 1905, he started his writing life in Baku with articles he wrote for Füyüzât, İrşat, Terakki, Hayat magazines published by Ali Bey Huseyinzade and Ahmet Bey Ağaloğlu and newspapers as from 1905. Emin Bey worked with the famous writers of Himmet, Tekamül, Yoldaş magazines representing the radical leftist trend between 1905 and 1907 and worked as the editor of Tekamül magazine for some time. In those years, he worked together with the representatives of social democrat movement such as radical leftist socialist Ilya Cukaşvili Stalin, Orcenikidze, Kalinin, Vışinski.
In late 1904, Himmet Party was established under Russian social democratic party.The duty of this party was to propagandize among Azerbaijanis. Resulzade tried to promote and make people adopt the concepts of independence, nation, human rights, culture in his social-political articles. He tried hard to have independence combatant people "granted people's freedom, nations' independence". His will was nations' living free. Resulzade was also much interested in literature and poetry. He has some poems as well as dramas such as Karanlıkta Işıklar and Nâgehân Belâ. His Karanlıkta Işıklar was first put on stage in 1908 in Baku.
Emin Bey took part in Iran revolution movement as a Himmet supporter between 1908 and 1910. In 1908, he was sent to Reşt city for observing the Gilan revolution by Social Democrat Committee of Baku, and went to Tehran the same year together with the combatant to take part in Meşruta movement. He drew attention of Meşrute leaders in a short time and attended establishment of Democrat party and writing of its program. He was even elected as the editor of İran-ı Nev newspaper, an organ of this party. We should cite that Resulzade is the first to publish a European style newspaper in Iran. The deputy of Democrat Party in the parliament, Seyyid Hasan Tagızade, wrote as follows in Sonen magazine in relation with death of Resulzade: "Before Iran revolution, Baku united with Persian patriots and went to Reşt in the period of Iran despotism (1908). After Tehran's being seized, he turned to Tehran in the middle of the same year, and his skills as a writer emerged. He became the editor of famous Iran-ı Nev newspaper. This newspaper was the most famous newspaper of the second period of Constitutional monarchy and parliament. He took new journalism style and European way to Iran. It was an organ of Democrat Party and since the same party struggled hard against Russian assault, Russian ambassador demanded his banishment. Mehemmed Veli Khan ordered his being sent into exile outside of Iran".
When we glance at the articles of Resulzade, we see that he did not refrain from criticizing despotism and old type of government. He even struggled for collapsing of such order. Resulzade, facing the hazard of being arrested by Czar government, went to Istanbul. He lived with his idealist friend Tagizade for some time. He turned back to Baku after declaration of amnesty in Russia. He resumed his political strugle. Even once he was arrested by the Czar government and appeared before the court. But he was released after 1917 revolution.
In 1915, when Emin Bey began to publish Açıkgöz newspaper, he was a well-known infuential politician in Azerbaijan. The newspaper was published until 1917. After 1917 revolution, he was elected as the party chairman in the general assembly of Equity Party gathered in Baku. Resulzade appeared in Russian Muslims council gathered in Moscow in 1917 May as the representative of Azerbaijan. He began to speak in that general assembly and advocated that Russia should be governed in the form of a union of republics established on the basis of national-local autonomous countries. Such proposal by Resulzade was accepted by the general assembly.
In those years, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia deputies established Mavera-i Kafkas Seymi. In 1918 May, 24-25th, Georgians and Armenians declared independence. So, Azerbaijan deputies gathered under the name of Azerbaijan National Council and elected Resulzade as the president of Azerbaijan National Council (28 May 1918).
Fethali Hon Hoylu, being elected as the Chairman under Presidency of Resulzade, established the cabinet. Since Baku was subject to raids by Russian armies and Armenian gangs, capital city of Azerbaijan was moved to Gence for a temporary period. Ottoman army entered Baku in the name of Islam Army under command of Nuri Pasha to clean Baku from enemies. On 15 September 1918, Baku was saved by Turkish army and voluntary forces of Azerbaijan after a war of three months. The capital city of Azerbaijan was moved to Baku again.
Independent Azerbaijan Government was a national and social democrat republic. The constitution of the government stipulated equal rights of citizens. Equity Party was publishing a newspaper named Istiklal. The principles of it were Getting Turk, Islam and Contemporary. Azerbaijan Government had accepted their native language as the official language of the state. A university was founded in Baku for the first time. Independent Republic of Azerbaijan did a lot in a very short time.
Unfortunately, on 27 April 1920, 2nd Red army invaded Baku and arrested and imprisoned the leaders of Azerbaijan Government. Resulzade, who hid himself in Lahız Village of Şamahı, told about the events in his book named Asrımızın Siyavuşu, which he wrote there, as follows: "All of Baku's wealth was looted, the shops were nearly pillaged. The houses were taken from their owners and was shared out like heritage. All crops, territories, everything what was given on paper to the villagers, were stolen by officials. The petrol stored for years was transferred to Russia. Everything, clothes, sugar, tea were loaded on the railway cars and taken to Moscow. Real wealth of the people was extorted and instead, invalid papers were given instead of money. Hungry people wanting bread were replied with artilleries and rifles."
Mehmet Emin Resulzade, after hiding himself in Lahıç for a period of time, was arrested by Bolsheviks and taken to Baku for trial. However, Resulzade was released by Stalin because he was an old friend of Stalin. Stalin took Resulzade and Abbaskulu Kazımzade to Moscow with himself.
Resulzade taught for a period of time in Moscow in Orientalism Faculty. He went to Leningrad to perform scientific investigations together with his friends Abbaskulu Kazimzade pursuant to a supervision of two years. He escaped to Finland on a boat with the help of Equity supporters, especially Tatars. He went to Germany, and from Germany to Turkey.
Mehmet Emin Resulzade started writing within the period he lived in Turkey and wrote books about various issues. Some of them are: Azerbaycan Teşekkülünde Müsavat, Azerbaycan Cumhuriyeti (Keyfiyet-i Teşekkülü ve Şimdiki Vaziyeti), Asrımızın Siyavuşu, İstiklal Mefküresi ve Gençlik, Rusya'da Siyasî Vaziyet, Kafkas Türkleri, Çağdaş Azerbaycan Edebiyatı, Azerbaycan Kültür Gelenekleri, Çağdaş Azerbaycan Tarihi, Azerbaycan Şairi Nizamî.
Mehmet Emin Resulzade published Yeni Kafkasya magazine in Istanbul until 1927 for 100 editions. He published an article Stalin'e Açık Mektup (Open letter to Stalin) besides some of his articles on this magazine. He criticized Stalin policy and officials' treatment against the people in this article. He mentioned about the problems of Muslim Turks in Russia at this magazine. He told about their behavior against them to whole world.
Resulzade had to leave Turkey upon pressure of Soviet Russia in 1922. He first went to Poland and then to Germany. He published articles permanently between 1928 and 1939 in the magazine of a society called Promete. He had his articles printed in İstiklal newspaper published in Berlin between 1927 and 1934 and then Kurtuluş between 1935 and 1939. Some of his articles were printed in Equity newspaper published in Europe.
Resulzade became the chairman of Azerbaijan National Center in Istanbul in 1922 and was elected as the honorary chairman of Azerbaijan Culture Association founded in Ankara by this center in 1949. The publication of Azerbaycan Dergisi, magazine, which was published in 1954 by this association, still goes on today.
Resulzade's colleague deceased Tagizade, wrote as follows about Resulzade, who struggled for independent Azerbaijan his whole life: "Resulzade was one of that reputed and magnificent men. In all of my world, without exaggeration, I saw no other man like him in the east. Mehmet Emin Resulzade, who is unique in all countries and perhaps in the world, was a well-mannered, strong, reasonable, clean-hearted, loyal, honest, patient, self-sacrificing, combatant person with self-control and pure idea and belief in his ideal".
Resulzade, who fought for independent Azerbaijan ideal and stood all kinds of tortures and hardships for his whole life, passed away on 5 March 1955 in Ankara. There are historical reasons why Resulzade's book Asrımızın Siyavuşu was written. When soviet domination was established in Azerbaijan, the authorities of Republic of Azerbaijan were chased. One of them was the leader of the party, Resulzade. He had to hide himself in Laniç village of Şamahı district. There was a small library in the house he hid himself. Şehname of Firdevsi drew his attention. He read the book repeatedly and associated his experiences with the persons in Şehname and wrote Asrımızın Siyavuşu. When the book is read, it is seen that Asrımızın Siyavuşu is Resulzade himself.
He wrote as follows about his book: "Asrımızın Siyavuşu is not a book thought of before to create a sense of hostility against the enemies of our idea and belief of unity of our land and nation." This book was published by Elşen Ebülhesenli in 1990 May on Haberler magazine of Azerbaijan Sciences Academy.
Resulzâde's Azerbaycan Cumhuriyeti Keyfiyyet-i Teşekkülü ve Şimdiki Vaziyeti book was republished in Turkey for the second time. In his book, he could depict to the readers the close history of Azerbaijan, the works performed by independent republic, the disasters the country faced with great proficiency.
Mehmet Emin Resulzade's Çağdaş Azerbaycan Edebiyatı (Contemporary Azerbaijan Literature) book is written as the second book of his Azerbaycan Kültür Gelenekleri (Azerbaijan Cultural Traditions). This book monitors development of Azerbaijan literature with regard to social-political phenomena in democratic republic years and Soviet domination years (until the second half of 1930's).
The following quotation by Resulzâde made him a symbol: "A flag hoisted once, would never descend."