Iran and the First World War: battleground of the Great Powers

Iran and the First World War: battleground of the Great Powers is a collection of articles on some of the Iranian social and political changes which happened during the First World War. This book is edited by Touraj Atabaki, Senior Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social History. This book originally was published by IB Tauris in London and the Persian translation is now published by Qoqnoos Publishing House in Tehran.

In the article "The First World War, Great Power Rivalries and the Emergence of a Political Community in Iran", Touraj Atabaki is reiterating the following:

The outbreak of the First World War and its aftermath may be the most important political episode in twentieth-century world history. The fall of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy, the Ottoman and Russian empires, followed by the USSR and the Kemalist republic in Turkey were among the most significant outcomes of the conflict.

In Iran the eruption of the war increased foreign pressure, causing the long-standing rift in Iranian politics to widen. The central government was so divided and ridden by factions that the different cabinets that were formed never lasted more than a few months. And yet the central government itself was not the sole source of power in the country.

Following the approval of the Iranian Constitutional Code by the Qajar king in 1906, Anglo-Russian rivalry in Iran faded away, if only temporarily, and an agreement was concluded between the two great powers. According to the Anglo-Russian agreement of 1907, Iran was divided into three zones-Russian, British and neutral. In accordance with this agreement, in October 1910, Britain delivered an ultimatum to Iran concerning the security of southern Iran. In so doing, Britain set an example for the Russian to follow. Russian troops had already occupied the Northern provinces. In November 1911 the Tsarist government presented its own ultimatum to Iran, which amounted to nothing less than an attempt to reduce the north of the country to the status of a semi-dependent colony.

The initial reaction by the central state of Iran in regards to the start of the war was declaration of Iran's neutrality. When a considerable part of the soil of Iran was occupied by the Antant (allied) forces, then what was the meaning of the neutrality of Iran? The writer continues to reiterate that "If the central state in Iran strong and in a good position, it was possible to pursue the neutrality policy.

The book Iran and the First World War: battleground of the Great Powers contains the following articles:

"The First World War, Great Power Rivalries and the Emergence of a Political Community in Iran", "Going East: The Ottomans` Service Activities in Iran" and "Pan-Turkism and Iranian Nationalism" by Touraj Atabaki, "The Iranian Provisional Government" by Mansoureh Ettehadiyyeh, "Iranian Nationalism and the Government Gendarmerie" by Stephanie Cronin, "A Kurdish Warlord on the Turkish-Persian Frontier in the Early Twentieth Century" by Martin van Bruinessen, "Ahmad Kasravi on the Revolt Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani" by Homa Katouzian, "The Populists of Rasht: Pan-Islamism and the Role of the Central Powers" Pezhmann Dailami, "The Council for International Propaganda and the founding of Communist party of Iran" by Aliver Bast.

Text: N. Kawyani