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56-936: The Jungle movement that had started in 1914 gained momentum after the victory of the Bolsheviks in Russia . In May 1920 the Soviet Caspian Fleet , led by Fyodor Raskolnikov and accompanied by Sergo Orzhonikidze , entered the Caspian port of Anzali . This mission was declared to be only in pursuit of the Russian vessels and ammunition taken to Anzali by the White Russian counter-revolutionary General Denikin , who had been given asylum by British forces in Anzali. The British garrison in Anzali soon evacuated

112-451: A coup d'état on February 22, 1921 (3 Esfand 1299) with the help of Reza Khan Mirpanj , who later became the Shah of Persia. Zia gave a fierce speech in parliament against the corrupt political class that tenaciously defended its privileges from the pre-parliamentary period which had brought Persia to the brink of ruin. The emperor, Ahmad Shah Qajar , appointed the thirty-three year old as

168-698: A "Republic" before the advent of the Communist Party of Iran . In fact Mirza was removed from his posts in the Persian Socialist Soviet Republic only 17 days after the party's formation. Mirza did not seem to agree with Marxist ideology, being a devout man of faith, even though many of his allies until the end were members of the Communist Party. The British did not take Mirza's successes lightly, and sent intelligence agent Edward Noel to assassinate Mirza. Noel

224-550: A Soviet Republic in the country, there is no doubt that "Marxist-Muslim cooperation" as part of the Soviet Republic had a long-standing legacy on political and socialist organizing in the country, with one group of students organizing against the Shah in the 1960s called the "Jangal Group." Initially, when commencing the movement, Mirza and his allies formed a union called Ettehad-e-Islam (The Islamic Union). Although in

280-490: A helicopter, but must mingle with the masses". The famous "Leading Personalities" files of the British Foreign Office described Zia as: "a man of outstanding singles of purpose and courage. Personally attractive, religious without being fanatical or obscurantist...appointed prime minister with full powers by Ahmad Shah on the 1st of March 1921 and affected numerous arrests. His reforms were too radical for

336-538: A letter to Lenin asking for assistance in 'freeing us and all of the oppressed from the chain of Iranian and British oppressors.' They also sent a letter to Tehran proclaiming the monarch government illegitimate. This Soviet republic would last close to two years before its leaders were killed and imprisoned. While the Soviet role in Iran was not clear, with questions on whether they were helping Iranians or helping establish

392-527: A message to the Soviet officers among Ehsanollah Khan's one thousand strong force that had made its way towards Qazvin , not to obey his orders and as a result that campaign was defeated. Historian Kayhan A. Nejad counters that Soviet leaders in Moscow only began to withdraw support from the Gilan Republic after months of infighting between its communist and non-communist factions, which set into motion

448-613: A process of internal collapse. Jungle Movement of Gilan Jungle revolutionaries Supported by: [REDACTED] Russian Empire (1915–17) [REDACTED] British Empire [REDACTED] Qajar Persia (1918–20) Mirza Kuchik Khan [REDACTED] Gen. Nikolai Baratov (1915) [REDACTED] Col. Lazar Bicherakhov (1918) [REDACTED] Maj. Gen. Lionel Dunsterville (1918) [REDACTED] Hassan Vosugh al-Dowleh (1918–20) The Jangal ( Jungle ) Movement (Persian: جنبش جنگل), in Gilan ,

504-692: The Alborz Mountains , and died of frostbite. It is said that his body was decapitated by a local landlord and his head was displayed in Rasht to establish the government's new hegemony over revolution and revolutionary ideas. Historians have tried to analyze the factors that contributed to the demise of the Jangal movement. Some of the main studies including those by Gregor Yeghikian and Ebrahim Fakhrayi (Minister of Culture in Kuchak Khan's Cabinet of

560-566: The Communist Party of Persia (evolved from the Baku -based Edalat ( Justice ) Party) on the other. On June 9, 1920 Mirza Kuchak Khan left Rasht in protest and also to avoid military confrontation (which he had always avoided as much as possible, even while fighting with the central government forces) and opened the way for the Communist (Edalat) party to set a coup d'état. The new administration, formally under Ehsanollah Khan but actually under

616-1029: The Gilan Republic , and soon after the British declared they would be withdrawing their troops. Ultimately, the Soviets told Mirza that the Soviet Republic, due to changed circumstances, was compromised. As a result, there was an internal conflict in which the leader of the communists, Heidar Amou Oqli, was killed, the "Revolutionary Committee" of the Soviet Republic fell apart, the Jangalis were defeated by Reza Khan and Mirza, along with his German companion, froze to death as they tried to escape Khan's men. Seyyed Zia%27eddin Tabatabaee Seyyed Zia al-Din Tabataba'i Yazdi ( Persian : سید ضیاءالدین طباطبایی یزدی ; June 1889 – 29 August 1969)

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672-462: The "formation of an army...eventual abolition of the capitulations...establishment of friendly ties with the Soviet Union." At the same time, he tried to implement a truly impressive number of changes in the capital itself—from ordering new rules of hygiene for stores that handled foodstuffs to bringing street lights to the city's notoriously dark roads. He talked of land reform, making him one of

728-485: The British in the war. One of his colleagues for the newspaper was Habibollah Ayn-al Molk , the father of Amir-Abbas Hoveyda , who later became Iran's Prime Minister. In 1917, Zia was commissioned by the government to make a trip to St. Petersburg , where he witnessed firsthand the Bolshevik Revolution . It is even claimed that Zia was present when Lenin made his famous speech about "seizing power" in

784-557: The Jangalis entered into an agreement with the Bolsheviks. This cooperation with the Soviet revolutionaries was based on some conditions including the announcement of the Persian Socialist Soviet Republic under his leadership and lack of any direct intervention by the Soviets in the internal affairs of the republic. The Soviets agreed to support him with ammunition and soldiers. Mirza offered to pay for

840-504: The Jangalis failed to change relations between landlords and peasants, but they did continue to hold an anti- absolutist , anti-imperialist , and nationalist position displayed in their newspaper, Jangal , launched in 1917. In years that followed, it was clear that the movement was gaining strength as disorder and insecurity swept the country. By 1920, the Jangalis, who were broadly Shia Muslims, engaged in an uprising in which they demanded regional autonomy and national reforms. There

896-548: The Jangalis, there were many who felt that the Bolsheviks offered a real solution to the problems shared by both Russia and Iran , namely the domination of the upper classes and the Imperial Court . Kuchak Khan's second-in-command, Ehsanollah Khan Dustdar , had become a communist and an ardent advocate of an alliance with the Bolsheviks. Kuchak Khan, though hesitant and cautious towards such an idea due to both his religious and Iranian nationalist background, accepted and

952-660: The Prime Minister of Persia. Within hours of taking power, the new government immediately declared a new order, which included, "all the residents of the city of Tehran must keep quiet. . . . The state of siege is established . . . all newspapers and prints will be stopped . . . public meetings in the houses and in different places are stopped . . . all shops where wines and spirits are sold, as well as theaters, cinemas and clubs, where gambling goes on, must be closed." Zia and Reza Khan , arrested some four hundred rich people and aristocrats who had inherited wealth and power over

1008-495: The Russian ties of the Jangali movement. The Republic also lost support from the general population due to the exceedingly high number of war refugees who began flooding the urban centers, thus posing a significant economic problem. Mirza's efforts to resolve the bloody disputes by sending a petition through a delegate of two of his men to Soviet premier Vladimir Lenin did not result in a resolution. By 1921, and particularly after

1064-518: The Soviet Republic) suggest a role for both extremist actions taken by the Communist (Edalat) Party that provoked opposing religious sentiment among the public, and Mirza Kuchak Khan's religious and at times somewhat conservative views on collaboration with the Communist Party as possible factors. Cosroe Chaqueri has suggested also that the change of policy on the Soviet side regarding pursuing global revolution versus establishing and protecting

1120-652: The Soviet Union was the main reason for them to withdraw support from the Gilan Republic. The second option got more support and therefore Soviets signed the Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement with the British in London (1921) which required them to retreat from Northern Iran. Correspondence between Theodore Rothstein , the Soviet ambassador in Tehran, and Mirza Kuchak Khan clearly supports this view. As part of his peace making efforts, Rothstein had also sent

1176-451: The afternoon of April 10, 1965 (21 Farvardin 1344), when the shah was the subject of an assassination attempt, Zia went to the court and insisted on taking the shah on a tour of the city. Everywhere they went people showed their enthusiastic support for the monarch. The excursion, according to Zia, did much to improve the mood of the understandably shattered shah. Zia also claimed to have told the shah that "a king can't fly around his capital in

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1232-761: The agreement achieved between the Soviet Union and Britain, the Soviets decided not to further support the Soviet Republic of Gilan. The Russo-Persian Treaty of Friendship (1921) was then signed, ensuring peaceful relations between the two countries and resulting in the withdrawal of Soviet forces. Reza Khan Mirpanj , who had initiated a successful coup d'état with Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee several days beforehand, then began reasserting central government control over Gilan and Mazandaran . The Soviet Republic of Gilan officially came to an end in September 1921. Mirza and his German friend Gauook ( Hooshang ) fled alone into

1288-495: The ammunition but the Soviets refused any payments. In May 1920, the Soviet Republic of Gilan, officially known as the Iranian Soviet Socialist Republic , came into being. The Republic did not redistribute land to poor peasants, to the dismay of the more radical forces of the Jangal movement. Therefore, soon disagreements arose between Mirza and his group of advisors on one side and the Soviets and

1344-413: The beginning, they were in conformity over the aims of the movement, eventually the movement began witnessing considerable friction as some members had diverging tendencies toward Ahmad Shah Qajar while others such as Mirza specifically called for an Iranian "Republic." Not only did Mirza specifically use the term "Republic of Iran," as can be seen in his letters, but he had also declared his interest in

1400-574: The country and the time, and he fell from power in June....It is no exaggeration to say that [in the postwar years, he] rallied the Anti-Tudeh forces in Persian and thus made it possible to resist intensive Soviet Pressure when it came. Alone among Persians he has never allowed personal or even party interest to interfere with his policy. By his uncompromising resistance to Russian encroachments he became

1456-401: The country. Reza Khan offered him any sum he deemed necessary from the treasury. Zia took twenty-five thousand toman to cover his travel expenses—by no measure a large sum—and left the country. All political prisoners were released on May 24. Although the reign of Seyyed Zia lasted only 93 days, this short period marked the beginning of an important period in the contemporary history of Iran,

1512-541: The court's solemnities and the rules of etiquette for a royal audience. He was even known to have spent one whole meeting sitting on a windowsill, as the king had refused to put chairs in the room. That day, he walked into the king's office, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, and continued to walk around as he talked. Ahmad Shah was incensed and practically threw Zia out of the office; hours later he arranged for his dismissal. After consulting Ahmad Shah, Reza Khan asked Zia on May 23, 1921, to resign and leave

1568-405: The early champions of the idea in modern Iran. He talked of making education available to every Iranian. His political reform program envisaged that the entire legal system of Iran should be modernized and aligned with European standards. He set up a reform commission headed by Iranian intellectual, Mohammad Ali Foroughi . The Ministry of Finance was initially closed in order to fundamentally reform

1624-508: The end of 1917, the Jangalis organized a "Unity of Islam" committee, since they were affiliated with the Union of Islam movement, which was "bourgeois-nationalist" with democratic elements, with members on the committee mainly comprising landlords and merchants. Still, they drew up a proposed constitution which accepted "private property in land" with certain limitations but also called for equality , majority rule , and freedom . Even with this,

1680-510: The family to Tabriz when Zia was two years old. He spent most of his early years in Tabriz, where his father, Seyyed Ali Tabataba'i Yazdi was an influential cleric. When Zia was twelve he went to Tehran, and at fifteen, he moved back to Shiraz in the company of his grandmother, who was said to be a woman of unusual erudition and independence. By the age of sixteen he started his first newspaper called Nedaye Islam "Voice of Islam", followed by

1736-730: The fourth parliament wrote: "It is not enough as much we admire Zia, we won't afford it....I say something but he was something else....". Zia spent the next few years traveling throughout Europe. For a while he sold Persian carpets in Berlin ; then he moved to Geneva , where he tried, unsuccessfully, to write a book with the help of his friend Mohammad-Ali Jamalzadeh , the famous exiled Iranian writer. He then settled in Montreux , where he continued his carpet business. After about seventeen years of nomadic life in Europe, he went to Palestine and spent

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1792-468: The influence of Batyrbek Abukov (the Soviet Commissar) started a series of radical activities such as anti-religious propaganda, or forcing money out of the rich landlords. Conservative elements characterized these measures as simply the latest features of longstanding Russian interference in the region, and the middle-class were antagonized by the level of violence, disrespect for property, and

1848-523: The major military presence in the region instead. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Marxists within Iran became more organized and began collaborating with the Jangal movement, with many of these new revolutionaries directly influenced by the Bolsheviks . Later, these Marxists would end up forming the communist Tudeh Party . Even so, there were undoubtedly differences since Mirza supported land reforms but not land redistribution. Near

1904-421: The movement was not "separatist", "bourgeois nationalist", or communist , its main ideas were rooted in ridding the country of government corruption, "foreign imperial domination," and opposition to the country's existing monarchy. With such goals, it is no surprise that the movement enjoyed strong support of the peasantry , working class , and poor population within Iran. Even so, Hooshang Amirahmadi describes

1960-583: The movement's leaders as "merchants and landlords" and Mirza as part of the "democratic wing" of the Iranian bourgeoisie . In years that followed, the movement's guerrillas, Jangalis, fought against foreign invaders. While they were described as "small landowners in Gilan" that advocated armed insurgency, they were strong enough to resist the advances of the Russian Empire , leading the British to become

2016-435: The name of the proletariat. This impacted his perception of politics, and made him a persistent advocate of the policy of rapprochement with the big northern neighbor. In 1919, the Iranian government, headed at the time by Vossug ed Dowleh , sent Zia back to Russia, this time to negotiate an agreement of friendship and alliance with the newly formed, ultimately short-lived Azerbaijan Democratic Republic . Zia came to power in

2072-565: The newspaper Ra'ad (Thunder) at the age of twenty-three. After Ra'ad was shut down by the authorities, he started two other newspapers called Shargh (East), followed by Bargh (Lightning), and became active in the Persian Constitutional Revolution . Zia's newspapers usually consisted of blistering attacks on prominent politicians of the Qajar monarchy, which caused them to be closed several times. The first time,

2128-768: The next six years there. In December 1931, he was elected Secretary General of the World Islamic Congress in Jerusalem. In this role, he developed plans to establish an Islamic University (the Al-Aqsa University). Accordingly, the university would have three faculties, one for theology and Islamic law, one for medicine and pharmacy, and one for engineering. In order to make this work, Zia traveled with Amin al-Husseini to Iraq and India to collect donations. However, they were unsuccessful in attaining enough funds, and therefore were not able to establish

2184-533: The ostensible reason given for the closure was that he was only nineteen and the law required an editor to be at least thirty. After the last two closures, he left for Europe and spent fourteen months primarily in France. By the time he returned, Iran was, in spite of declared neutrality, occupied by Russian , British , and Ottoman forces. Zia decided to resume his journalism, this time focusing on his famous newspaper Ra'ad (Thunder), and came out in strong support of

2240-413: The rank of his enemies swelled and his days in office seemed numbered. Foremost among his enemies was the king himself. Ahmad Shah Qajar , who no longer wanted to support Zia's radical reform program. But above all he wanted the release of the arrested nobles. Zia's last meeting with Ahmad Shah took place only hours before his dismissal and days before his exile. He had always been defiantly oblivious to

2296-523: The rise of the Pahlavi dynasty. Despite his opponents being mainly Qajar supporters and aristocrats, Zia had the support of many Iranians including intellectuals such as Aref Qazvini and Mirzadeh Eshghi . Aref was so fascinated by Zia that after he left Iran, he composed a famous poem in praise of him: (...ای دست حق پشت و پناهت بازآ / چشم آرزومند نگاهت بازآ / وی توده ی ملت سپاهت بازآ / قربان کابینه سیاهت بازآ). A few years later Mirzadeh Eshghi in his ode of

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2352-433: The span of ten to twenty years while the country experienced poverty, corruption, famine, instability and chaos. Their cabinets changed every six or seven months and could hardly manage the country's daily affairs. According to Zia, these "few hundred nobles, who hold the reins of power by inheritance, sucked, leech-like, the blood of the people". Zia declared that his cabinet's program included far-reaching measures such as

2408-536: The symbol of Persia's will to resist....He is both honest and energetic -- a very rare combination in Persia....The comparative lack of success of his party was due [among other things to his inability to] reconcil[e] his progressive ideas with the conservation of many of his followers. Has something of a mystic in him." Zia's political tendencies were perceived to be pro-British by many Iranians. However, unlike many Iranian politicians who had covert foreign relations, Zia

2464-439: The tax and finance system, which had essentially collapsed. However, the necessary funds were simply not available to stimulate the economy or to invest in infrastructure. The abolition of the rights of surrender for the British and Russians also made no headway. Moreover, some of his decisions such as ordering a ban on alcohol, bars, and casinos, as well as, closing shops on Fridays and on religious holidays, angered merchants. It

2520-499: The town without any resistance, retreating to Manjil . Faced with the conflict between his movement and the united British and central government forces, the Iranian revolutionary Mirza Kuchak Khan considered several choices. Mirza had considered seeking support from Bolsheviks when a year before he traveled on foot to Lankaran to meet with them but by the time he arrived in that city, the Red forces had been forced to evacuate. Amongst

2576-489: The two forces. After this, the Jangalis were a key part of maintaining Socialist Soviet Republic of Gilan , showing that Marxists and Muslims could work together in a common cause. John Foran describes this collaboration: The Communist Party of Iran, led by Haydar Khan Amoughlu, and the Jungle Movement, led by Mirza Kuchak Khan, had formed an alliance to build a soviet socialist republic. In addition, they sent

2632-487: The university. Zia then settled on becoming a farmer in Palestine. He developed a special affinity for alfalfa and became notorious for his belief that it was the panacea for everything. He even developed a veritable alfalfa cookbook. Among his contributions to Iranian agriculture was the introduction of strawberries to the country. His life of exile ended in 1943 when he was encouraged to return to Iran. In Iran, Zia

2688-643: Was a rebellion against the monarchist rule of the central government of the Sublime State of Iran , which lasted from 1915 to 1921. In 1915, Mirza Kuchik Khan , an experienced activist in the Constitutional Revolution , launched the Jangal movement, which was religiously Islamic , in the forests of Gilan , demanding autonomous status for the province, an end to central government corruption, an end to foreign interference in affairs of local peoples, and land reform. Basically, even though

2744-459: Was a turning point in the movement after the Red Army came into the Iranian port of Enzali. As a result, the Red Army and Jangalis agreed on the establishment of the bourgeois democratic and anti-British/anti-imperialist government in Gilan , while Mirza began secret negotiations with the central government to eliminate communists, leading to a coup in the Gilan government and later peace between

2800-458: Was also not long before the families of those arrested organized a political campaign against Zia, calling his administration "the black cabinet", which resulted in constant unrest. Zia informed the families that the arrested would be released if they paid four million toman in arrears in taxes, to which the families refused. There was nothing short of hubris in Zia's behavior. With every passing day,

2856-403: Was an Iranian journalist and pro-Constitution politician who, with the help of Reza Shah , spearheaded the 1921 Persian coup d'état and aimed to reform Qajar rule, which was in domestic turmoil and under foreign intervention. He subsequently became the 13th Prime Minister of Persia (Iran). Zia was born in the city of Shiraz in June 1889. He was one of four children. His father took

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2912-456: Was arrested before he could take any such action. Colonel Stokes and General Lionel Dunsterville (whose troops were lightly referred to as Dunsterforce ) were further agitated by Mirza 's refusal to let British forces pass through Gilan on their way up north, while Mirza had approved and guaranteed Russian troops returning north safe passage. British forces attacked Rasht as a result, and even bombed Mirza's residence using airplanes. An ultimatum

2968-437: Was different from servitude. He argued that fear was the sole motive for this politically costly decision to become a friend of the British. "I was a friend of the British," he declared, "because being their friend, you only pay a price...but being their enemy guarantees your destruction. All my life I have paid the price for this friendship, but as a rational man, I was never ready to be destroyed". Zia died on 29 August 1969 at

3024-453: Was elected as the governor of Yazd . Subsequently, Zia attained a central position on the political stage. Everyone was either for or against him. During the last fifteen years of his life, Zia became an advisor and conduit to the shah , who was hesitant at first, but preferred him over Ahmad Qavam , with whom he had a fall out with. Zia would meet regularly with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , and by all accounts talked to him frankly and honestly. On

3080-467: Was issued to Mirza by the British to surrender. The Russians joined the British and sent in 20,000 troops to capture Mirza. Many prominent members of the movement such as Haj Ahmad Kasmai and Dr Talequani Heshmat surrendered, with 270 troops, and the latter was executed by the Qajar government despite the immunity that he was granted. In 1922, the Soviets came to an agreement with the Iranian government to withdraw their troops, especially those assisting

3136-463: Was quite open and never denied being "a friend of the British". In fact, the British at the time were already very much entangled in Iranian affairs. The Qajars were constantly seeking help and advice from the British. Reza Khan too, along with many high ranking politicians, were immensely pro-British, at least initially. Part of the intention behind this was to protect Iran against the Russian expansionist policies of that time. Zia insisted that friendship

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