[AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES OF AZERBAIJAN SSR / BAKU IMPRINT] Gend Tasarrufât ve Istihsâlât Kooperasiyonu: Güç birliktedir! [i.e., the Cooperation of the Urban Production and Crafts. Workers of the world, unite!]

MEHMED MURAD, Kooperatif Kitabhânesi - Azerbaycan Istihlâk Kooperatifleri Ittifaki / AzerIttifaq, Baku, 1923.

In contemporary brown cloth. Roy. 8vo. (24 x 16 cm). In Azerbaijani with Arabic letters. 88 p. The Left margin of the title page is cut; otherwise, a good copy.

First and only edition of this extremely rare guide to the local agricultural cooperatives in the early Azerbaijan SSR, published by "AzerIttifaq".

The book begins with the bibliography in two separate lists of Russian and Turkish resources used by the author. In the preface, the author describes and praises the AzerIttifaq, especially, in the context of the formation and success of the Azerbaijani cooperatives in the 1920s Baku. The first chapter titled ["Old and new in the urban life"] contains a short history of agricultural cooperations and productivity. The second chapter is reserved for the Societies of Urban Production in detail. The third chapter’s title is the Companies of Urban Production consisting of how to manage them, their titles, structures, etc. In this chapters, the author gives detailed information about growing vegetables and publishing books, booklets, and pamphlets on this field to inform the public, cooperatives among local villagers, some local examples of these cooperatives, electrification questions in industry and production, meliorative companies and their regulations.

AzerIttifaq, The Union of Consumer Societies of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Istehlâk Cəmiyyətləri Ittifaqi) was the leading organizational and economic center of consumer cooperation during the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1990).

The cooperative movement in Azerbaijan began with the organization of consumer cooperatives of workers in the oil fields (Balakhani, Bibiheybat). The first consumer society was established in Baku (1887), and later in Khankendi (1899). In May 1915, 12 consumer societies (10 industrial and 2 urban types), having united, created the Union of Consumer Societies under the name "Society-Cooperation of Wholesale Operations". In mid-December of the same year, the number of consumer societies in the union increased to 18. In December 1916, 48 of the above societies were already present in the union. In July 1917, in connection with the entry into the union of Tiflis and Erivan provinces, at the next meeting of representatives of the societies, the name of the union was changed to the Union of Consumer Societies of the Caspian Sea (with the control centre in Baku). By the beginning of 1918, 287 consumer societies were already operating in Baku. More than half of them (approximately 56%) were rural consumer societies, 32% - urban, and 10% - fishing and factory type. The revolution in the Russian Empire led to a food crisis, which caused the dissolution of these societies.

The move of the ADR government in September 1918 to Baku created the ground for the beginning of the restoration of societies. As of January 1, 1919, the share capital of the union was 138,574 manats. The low share capital was associated with the weak development of consumer cooperatives during 1918. Despite this, on January 1, 1920, the total turnover of the union amounted to 41 million 500 thousand manats. First, the expansion of industrial potential was started, the creation of strong economic support, independent of the market situation, the production of soap was expanded, the production of lubricating oils, a pasta factory, and a new printing house were organized, and in 1919 the first cannery in the Caucasus and a factory in Tenek were bought. The Union also carried out activities outside the consumer sphere. For example, at the end of 1918 - beginning of 1919, a music studio, a secondary educational institution, and an outpatient clinic were opened, providing medical care to the population at low prices. During this period, there was a revival in the publishing sector. First, instead of the journal "Unification" ("Birlik"), the publication "Bulletin of the Caspian Cooperation" ("Xəzəryani kooperasiya xəbərləri") began to be published, then the journal "Working Life" ("Zəhmət həyati").

In 1919, five issues of the “Zəhmət həyati” were published. Several books and an annual were also published in Azerbaijani. From the end of 1918, the work of the educational department of the union also intensified. To restore the activities of cooperative societies in the ADR, Azerbaijani instructors were mainly involved in the work. In February 1920, at the next meeting, the union was renamed "Azerittifaq”.

Özege 25006.; As of 2023 September, we can’t trace any copy in the WorldCat.