Soviet diplomacy and its participation in the republican campaign in Iran (1924)

The main objective of the research is a comprehensive review of the participation of the Soviet diplomacy in the republican campaign of 1924 in Iran and describing the influence of the campaign on the follow-up tactics of the Soviet diplomacy in the country. The research is based on the unpublished documents of the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, and Russian State Archive of Social and Political History, as well as various literature, and other materials on the issue. The pro-republican thought in Iran is rooted in the 19th century, but the campaign itself was initiated by Reza Khan and his supporters and became the first serious attempt to overthrow the Qajar dynasty. The launch of the campaign was met in the Soviet plenipotentiary representation with suspicion: sharing the republican ideas Soviet diplomats in Tehran leaded by B.Z. Shumyatsky were afraid of possible British influence on the republican government to be established. The person of the formal leader of the campaign - S.M. Tadayyun -also looked suspicious in the eyes of the Soviet diplomats. It must be noted that such suspicions were shared by a part of the Iranian public opinion. At the same time, P. Loraine, the British envoy in Iran, was also worried with the rumors of the Soviet support of the idea of the establishment of the republic in the country but Foreign Secretary J.R. MacDonald spoke in favor of neutrality. The Soviet diplomats took the slogan of convening the Constituent Assembly and made contacts with such leaders of the opposition in the Majles as S.H. Modarres and M.H. Ashtiyani, prominent ulama in Tehran, and Khalisizadah, the prayer-leader of the Tehran bazaar. As a result, the temporary block of the left (the Iranian communists and a part of the socialists) and ulama were organized. The collapse of the republican campaign gave rise to criticism against Shumyatsky’s actions among some Soviet diplomats and led to the change of the Soviet tactics towards the ways of the establishing of the republic in Iran. Returning from Moscow Shumyatsky made a serious effort to support Reza Khan after the April’s and during the July’s political crises and, in fact, pushed him for the closing of the Majles and the regime change. The Iranian communists who organized the so-called People’s Party in cooperation with some Tehran’s merchants also worked in that direction. After the crushing of the campaign Reza Khan himself needed the support from the Soviet side, and despite his public rejection of the republic ideas, in private conversations with the Soviet diplomats he continued to speak in favor of the establishment of the republic in Iran. But after strengthening of his own position, Reza Khan changed his tone concerning the republican prospects and directly moved towards the shah’s throne. Thus, the Soviet hope for establishing the republic in Iran did not materialize, and Reza Khan demonstrated his own considerable political skills, became the new shah of Iran.

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