Memorial to Azerbaijani victims of 1990 Russian invasion, Baku
Courtesy David Dallas, United States Information Agency

Soviet troops sent to quell Azerbaijani nationalist unrest, 1989-90
Courtesy Jay Kempen

Azerbaijan was strongly affected by the autonomy that spread to most parts of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev's liberalized regime in the late 1980s. After independence was achieved in 1991, conflict with Armenia became chronic, and political stability eluded Azerbaijan in the early years of the 1990s.

Data as of March 1994