Ottoman Invasion of western Iran in World War І and its consequences: A Research based on documents

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Lorestan University. Lorestan, Iran

Abstract

Despite taking a neutral stance, Iran heavily suffered from the First World War. Russian and Ottoman forces violated this neutrality and occupied a vast part of the country along the western frontier. This critical situation caused many calamities with deep and viable effects on the social life of Western Iran which missed scholarly attention. Bearing this in mind, and drawing on a bunch of unpublished archival material, this paper aims to shed new light on some unexplored dimensions of the subject. The central focus of this article is on the social and economic problems that ensued from the lasting occupation of the western provinces of Iran. At the same time, it seeks to prepare a descriptive explanation of the behavior of the local elite in confrontation with this crisis and what we can term center-peripheral policies. The findings show that the Ottoman invasion to western Iran and its occupation had certain social and economic consequences. These problems not only affected the local economy and social life but raised serious challenges for the central authority

Keywords

Main Subjects


 
-         Adamiyat, Fereydun, (1983), Amir Kabir and Iran, Tehran: Khwarazmi;
-         Ahrar, (n.d), Ahmad, Storm over Iran, Châpkhâne-ye Mohammadali Elmi,
-         Atabaki, Touraj, (1988), Iran and the First World War, Battleground of the Great Powers, translated by Mahdi Haqiqatkhah, Tehran, Qoqnus;
-         Ataöv, Turkkaya (2000), “Iran and Turkey, 1914-1918”, in O. Bast (ed.), La Perse et la grande guerre, Tehran: Institut Francais de Recherche en Iran, pp. 123-139.
-         Bahar, Mohammadtaghi, (2020), Our History of the First World War (1914-1918), Tehran: Shiraze;
-         Bast, Oliver (2000), “La mission persane a la conference de paix en 1919: une nouvelle interpretation”, La Perse et la grande guerre, pp. 375-425.
-         Bayat, Kâveh, (2002), Iran and the First World War Documents of the Ministry of Interior, Tehran: Sâzman-e Asnâd va Ketâbkhane-ye Meli-e Iran;
-         Dashtakinia, Farhad, “Qajar State and Urmia Crisis in World War I”, Historical Studies of War, Vol. 2, No. 4, 2019. PP. 49-76;
-         Eynosaltaneh, (1999), Ruznâme-ye Khaterât, Tehran: Asâtir;
-         Foroutan, Majid, (2010), Political and Social Situation of Hamedan, Tehran: Sâzman-e Asnâd va Ketâbkhane-ye Meli-e Iran;
-         Ghotbi, Behrooz, (1991), Archival Documents of the First World War in Iran, Tehran: Nashr-e Gharn.
-         Kasravi, Ahmad, (2007), The 18 Year History of Azerbaijan, Tehran: Agâh;
-         Kazemzade Iranshahr, 1924, Maâref Dar Osmani (Education in Ottoman Empire), Berlin.
-         Kavusi-Eraqi, Mohammad Hasan (2000), "Le problem de la neutralite persane", La Perse et la grande guerre, pp. 27-44.
-         Khosravizadeh, S, Adelfar, B.A, Pourmohammadi Amlashi, N, “The Bajalan Tribe at the Height of the World War I”, Journal of Iranian Islamic Period History, Vol 9, Issue 16, April 2018, PP. 91-111;
-         Khosrowzadeh, Sirvan, (2019), a survey of the History of Assyrians in World War I, Tehran: Shiraze-ye Ketab-e Ma.
-         Koohestaninejad, Masoud, “The famine of 1296”, Vol. 12, 2002, No. 1-2, PP. 40-85;
-         Mansouri, F, Alisoufi, Alireza, Dehnavi. N, Shahsavari, S, “Causes and Consequences of Famine in Kermanshah During World War I”, The Historical Studies of War, Vol. 5, Issue. 2, No. 16, 2021, 81-102;
-         Molaei Tavani, Alireza, (1999), Iran and National State in the First World War, Tehran: Moasese-ye Târikh-e Moâser-e Iran;
-         Nategh, Homa, (2001), Cultural Achievements of the Europeans, Tehran: Moâserpazhoohân.
-         Nizam Mâfi, Rezagholi, (1984), The Green Book, Tehran: Nashr-e Tarikh-e Iran;
-         Oskar Von Niedermayer, (1984), Under the Scorching Sun, translated by Keykavus Jahândâri, Nashr-e Târikh-e Iran;
-         Perkins, Justin (1843), A Residence of Eight Years in Persia among the Nestorian Christians with notice of the Muhammedans, New York.
-         Schofield, Richard (2008), “Narrowing the Frontier: mid-nineteen century efforts to delimit and map the Perso-Ottoman boundary”, in. R. Farmanfarmaian (ed.), War and Peace in Qajar Persia, Implications Past& Present, New York: Routledge, pp. 149-173.
-         Sepehr, Ahmad Ali, (1957), Iran in the Great War 1914-1918, Tehran;
-         Stanford J. Shaw, Ezel Kural Shaw, (1991), History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, translated by Mahmud Ramazanzadeh, Mashhad: Âstân-e Qods-e Razavi;
-         Tafsiri, Seyed Borhân, Mansour Ahmadi, “Golbaghi Tribe; Residence, History and Compulsory Move”, Biannual Research of Iran Local Histories, 8 Year, No 1, Ser. No 15, Autumn 2019 & Winter 2020 (PP. 259-270);
-         Tamadon. Mohammad, (1971), Iran during the First World War or the History of Rezaeiyeh, Urmia: Tamadon, Tehran: Ketâbforoushi-e Eslamiye.
-         William Morgan Shuster, (2018), The Strangling of Persia, Tehran: Mâhi;
-         Towfigh, Rahmatollah, Urmia History during the First World War, Tehran: Shiraze.
-         Williamson, Graham (2008), “The Turko-Persian War, 1821-1823, winning the war but losing the peace”, War and Peace in Qajar Persia, pp. 88-109.
-         Zirinsky, Michael (2000), “American Presbyterian Missionaries at Urmia during the Great War”, La Perse et la grande guerre, pp. 353-372.
 
Periodicals
-         Asr-e Jadid, Vol. 3. No. 80, 1917;
-         Asr-e Jadid, Vol. 3. No. 96, 1917;
-         Cherhre Nama, Vol 13. No. 33, 1916;
-         Cherhre Nama, Vol 14. No. 37-38, 1916;
-         Cherhre Nama, Vol 14. No. 40, 1916;
-         Cherhre Nama, Vol 14. No. 45, 1916:
Documents[In Persian]
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 293/ 001753;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 293/ 000762;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 4801;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 293/ 001853;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 099521;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 293/ 2553;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 002715
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 998/ 000676;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 000293;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 210/ 4232;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 002857;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 003078;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 105335;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 007124;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 007435;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 293/ 1853;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 210/ 002612;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 293/ 3669;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 008247;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 014106;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 023270;
-         The National Library and Archives of Iran[SAKMA], 240/ 4901;