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History
Under Ardshir-i-Darazdast (465-425) and
his successors decadence set in, and the first organized Persian
empire of the Achamenides, founded by Cyrus the Great, in 559 B.C.,
fell before the Greek Alexander (334 B.C.) Greek domination yielded
only to that of Parthia, begun by Ashk (c. 246 B.C.). In the reign
of Ardavan, one Ardashir-i-Babakan of Kaianian descent led a
successful revolt, and founded the Sassanian dynasty (228-641 A.D),
under whose kings Persia regained her ancient glory. The Sasanian era endured until the hordes of
Mohammed crushed Persian power under Yazdajird on the field of
Nahavand (639). At one time an outlying province, under the Abbasid Khulafa,
Persia with Baghdad as capital became the center of the Caliphate,
with the decline of which sprang up various principalities nominally
obedient and of varying duration. Internal strife followed, until the
invasion of Genghis Elan (1203) and Hulagu Khan, his grandson,
blotted out the petty chieftains, and established the Mogul dynasty
(1226-1335). Mogul decay prepared the way for Timur and his Tatars,
whose dynasty later the Uzbaks (1451-99) overthrew, only themselves
to be overthrown by Shah Isma'il, who founded the House of Safavi
(1499-1736). Under Shah 'Abbas the Great
(1585-1628), the Turks were crushed and internal tranquillity
prevailed. Later the rebellion of Afghanistan caused the fall of the
Safavi House, which was restored by the robber chief Nadir (1729),
who then himself seized the kingdom (1736-47). His descendants were
unable to keep it; the empire fell to pieces; Afghanistan and Baluchistan seceded; petty
chiefs ruled, while in the west the Kurd Karim Khan established the
Zand dynasty (1760-94). The latter was overthrown by
Agha Muhammed, founder of the Kajar dynasty, who was followed by
Fath 'Ali (1797-1834), under whom the country became involved in
European complications.
Georgia (1802) was taken from her by
Russia. Three wars with that power proved disastrous. The treaties of 1797 and 1813, and the war of
1826, stripped Persia of her Armenian provinces. A short war with
Britain arose (1838), when Muhammad Shah (1834-48) attempted to
seize Herat. Nasiru'd-Din Shah (1848-96), following the policy of his father, asserted his claims in Afghanistan and Baluchistan, occupied Herat, became involved in war with Britain, and was forced to surrender the town (1857). Boundary disputes were finally settled in 1872 by the British commissioner, Sir Frederick Goldsmid, while in 1881 the northeastern frontier was fixed by treaty with Russia. Under Na,siru'd-Din diplomatic relations
were established with the United States, the first
minister-resident, S. G. W. Benjamin, being appointed to Teheran in
1883. On the assassination of his father (May 1, 1906),
Muz-affaru'd-Din succeeded (1896-1907). The corruption of his court
aroused widespread dissatisfaction, and he was forced to accede to
the demand for a constitution. On October 7, 1906, the first Persian
National Assembly met in Teheran, while on January 19, 1907,
following the death of the Shah, the Crown Prince Muhammad 'Ali
Mirza was crowned constitutional king of Iran. In June, 1908, his
arrest and execution of certain members of parliament, and the
revocation of the constitution, led to his deposition (1909) at the hands of the Reform Party,
the election to the throne of his son Ahmed Kajar, and the
appointment of a regency. In 1907 Russia and Britain had divided
Persia between them, the north falling into the Russian "Sphere of
Influence," the south into that of Britain, both maintaining
noninterference in purely Persian state matters. The appointment on
the recommendation of President Taft, of W. Morgan Schuster as
treasurer general of Persia met with strong opposition from Russia,
and following an ultimatum from that country (1911) he was
dismissed. M. Marnard, a Belgian, was appointed in his stead, but
also resigned owing to Russian pressure. In July, 1914, the regency
was abolished, Ahmed being pro-claimed Shah. In the World War, the position of Persia was one
of great difficulty, for altho she had declared her neutrality her
territory was invaded by belligerent powers. A Turkish Army under
Hussein Raouf Bey engaged General Baratov's Russian troops in North
Persia in 1915, and at the same time British forces were landed at
points on the Persian Gulf to protect the pipe-line of the
Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The British landed an expeditionary force
at Bander Abbas, South Persia, in 1916, and enlarged it by local
recruiting. Hamadan and Kermanshah were taken by the Russians,
March, 1917, and Kerman was occupied by the British in June. The
Russian forces abandoned the campaign at the end of the year as the
result of the Revolution, and consequently British troops, who
entered North Persia from Mesopotamia in May, 1918, replaced them
until the Armistice. The year 1921 saw the rise to power of Riza
Khan Pahlevi from commander-in-chief of the army to military
dictator and, after the deposition of the Kajar dynasty in 1925, to
hereditary Shah. Persia became a member of the League
of Nations Jan. 10, 1920. The govemment has adopted a westernizing
policy, restricting the wearing of turbans or fezzes to religious
leaders. In Nov. 1931, the government, having become
dissatisfied with the terms of the lease granted to the AngloPeraian
Oil Company in 1901, abruptly canceled it. The British government,
being an interested party, agreed to present the case before the
Council of the League of Nations. Concurrently the principals
entered into private negotiations, assisted by Eduard Benes, Foreign
Minister of Czechoslovakia. Early in Feb. 1932 a working agreement
was reached, permitting the Persian government to deal directly with
the Company's officials, and accordingly the British government
withdrew from the dispute. Negotiations resumed at Teheran in April
resulted in the signing of anew lease, with terms considerably more
favorable to Persia. In 1935, the name was officially changed to Iran, which see for developments thereafter. PERSIAN OUTPOST Addendum: Although Iran had declared neutrality in 1939,
the WWII allied powers, saught the transit use of Iranian territory
and its north-south railway link to transport supplies and
reinforcements to aid the Russians against Nazi Germany. Upon the
refusal of Reza Shah Pahlavi, and after a short ultimatum, on August
25, 1941 the British and Russian forces (British from the south and
Russians from the north) entered Iranian territory. The Allied
occupation of Tehran, resulted in a forced resignation of Reza Shah
on behalf of his young crown prince, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The
young monarch ruled Iran until 1979 and became known in most of the
world simply as the "Shah" (which means King in Persian). The young king's learning and trial decade of 1940's (and early
1950's) brought an era of political tolerance and freedom, resulting
in the birth of numerous political parties (including communist
movements) and Western style politicians. The significant developments of this era were
the nationalization of petrolium rights and dismantling of the
Anglo-Persian Oil Company (March of 1951) and the rise to power and
prominance of the popular and charismatic national assembly (Majlis)
member, Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh. Mossadegh had spearheaed the
parliementary movement to nationalize the Iranian oil rights.In April of 1951, and under pressure from the
majority in Majlis, the Shah appointed Dr. Mossadegh the Prime
Minister of Iran. In July of 1953, after a two-year power
struggle with Mossadegh and a constant debate over the limits of his
constitutional powers, and after a failed attempt to remove Dr.
Mossadegh by force, the Shah fled the country. This failed coup was
followed two days later with a follow up military operation, planned
and financed by American CIA and carried out by military elements
loyal to Shah. This development was followed by 25 years close
military, political and economical alliance between United States
and Iran. Iran's prominance in the oil cartel
organization OPEC, the military power amassed by Shah in the context
of his regional alliance with NATO (and United Sates in particular)
along with the astronomical increase in the oil revenues through
1970's, turned Iran into a prosperous and super rich country. While Shah's aggressive social and
economical reform program called "White Revolution" (announced in
January of 1963) gave rise to a prosperous and well-educated urban
middle-class in Iran of the 1970's, it also put him in a collision
course with Iran traditional power bases of Bazaar (wholesale
merchant class) and the Shiite Clergy. The latter group saw Shah's
modernization agenda a beginning of the end for Iran's traditional
Islamic family values, fearing an ultra secular future similar to
that of Turkey. Additionally, Shah's farm and labor reform policies
resulted in the displacement of a large rural population into the
large cities, leaving a giant gap of "haves" and "have nots" in its
wake! As the opposition against Shah's policies grew, so did his
repressive means of fighting his political enemies, making his
secret police organization named "SAVAK" one of the most feared in
the world. The great divide between Shah and his
subjects escalated into open and violent clashes between larger and
larger groups of public protesters and his Imperial Gurds,
reportedly resulting in thousands of deaths in 1978 and 1979 alone!
As a calming measure devised by an American military advisor, Shah
was finally forced to leave Iran in January of 1979. And finally, in
February of 1979, following a mutiny in the ranks of Iranian air
force cadets in Tehran, armed militants stormed and overtook all
major military installations and the national broadcasting center,
toppling the Pahlavi Dynasty and the multi-thousand year old reign
of kings!
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