Alphabet discussions in Azerbaijan in the early of 20th century

The alphabet struggle of the intellectuals in Azerbaijan, the foundation of which was laid in the second half of the XIX. century gained a new dimension in XX. century. The issue of the alphabet was one of the main topics in the Azerbaijani press in the early 20th century. At that time, according to some intellectuals, the use of the Arabic alphabet by Turkic-speaking peoples actually constituted a major obstacle to unity, solidarity and partnership. In addition, this alphabet could not fully and comprehensively reflect the phonetic and phonological structure and acoustics of the Turkic languages. If there is an alphabet that can reflect the sound structure of Turkic languages in the most ideal way, this alphabet is the Latin alphabet. Intellectuals who realized this fact at the beginning of the XX. century, encouraged the transition to the Latin alphabet in the Azerbaijani press. The study of Azerbaijanian history has been the focus point, especially since the beginning of the last century. In this period, M. F. Ahundzade, C. Memmedguluzade, M. Şahtahtlı, N. Nerimanov, S. Ağamalıoğlu and others initially attempted to implement projects for the simplification of the Arabic alphabet, and later transition to the Latin or Cyrillic graphic alphabet. In the article, the ideas and activities of the intellectuals of the period at the beginning of the 20th century regarding the alphabet problems were highlighted, and the importance of changing the Arabic alphabet was emphasized. Although there were individuals who resisted changing the alphabet, time and political events played a crucial role in resolving the issue. Initially, there was a transition to the Latin alphabet with Latin graphics, followed by the acceptance of the Cyrillic script. The innovations and challenges brought about by the alphabet change were discussed, and debates were carried out about determining the right course of action.