Iran And The First World War

A study of Anglo-Iranian relations during World War I. This book analyzes such diplomacy as an example of great power politics in regional affairs, examining Britain's concern to maintain stability in Iran and exclude foreign interests from the Persian Gulf and the approaches to India.

The First World War, leading to the overthrow of the Qajar regime and replacement by Reza Shah, was pivotal in the history of modern Iran. The Constitutional Revolution of 1906-09 aimed to abolish the arbitrary regime and bring in a modern constitution and parliament. But growing provincial unrest and rebellion by nomadic peoples brought chaos and instability, heightened by the strains of war and intervention by foreign powers. Iran was on the brink of disintegration, modernisation had failed, and growing frustration and pressure from the disillusioned middle classes, intelligentsia and urban population, set the stage for centralisation of power under the `Man of Order' - Reza Shah.

At least 8–10 million Iranians out of a population of 18–20 million died of starvation and disease during the famine of 1917–1919. The Iranian holocaust was the biggest calamity of World War I and one of the worst genocides of the 20th century, yet it remained concealed for nearly a century. The 2003 edition of this book relied primarily on US diplomatic records and memoirs of British officers who served in Iran in World War I, but in this edition these documents have been supplemented with US military records, British official sources, memoirs, diaries of notable Iranians, and a wide array of Iranian newspaper reports. In addition, the demographic data has been expanded to include newly discovered US State Department documents on Iran’s pre-1914 population. This book also includes a new chapter with a detailed military and political history of Iran in World War I. A work of enduring value, Majd provides a comprehensive account of Iran’s greatest calamity.

Dunsterforce', named after its intrepid commander, Maj.-Gen. L.C. Dunsterville, was the small, secret expedition, known from its clandestine nature as 'the Hush-Hush army', sent to the Caucasus at the end of 1917 in a bid to nip Russia's Bolshevik revolution in the bud, or at least to forestall any Russian attempt to move south and and export their revolution to British-ruled India. Small and ill-supplied, Dunsterforce made up for its lack of numbers with the personal dash of its commander, (who had already been immortalised in literature as 'Stalky' in Rudyard Kipling's public school tales, 'Stalky & Co' based on Kipling's boyhood with Dunsterville at the United Services College at Westward Ho! in Devon). Dunsterville's own book has plenty of Kiplingesque derring do as the General and his subordinate officers (who led sub-expeditions) to parley with the Kurdish, Persian and Cossack tribesmen of the vast and mountainous area. In the end, Dunsterforce found itself battling in vain to save the oil rich town of Baku from the Bolsheviks before lack of resources and the fatal disunity among his allies forced the force to withdraw, their mission unfulfilled. This colourful memoir, reflecting the charismatic character of its author, is a key source for anyone interested in what Kipling called the Great Game (the great power rivalry between Russia and Britain) in British intervention in Russia and the history of unorhtodox warfare.

“Offers us a fascinating new perspective on the Second World War—its impact on local societies in the Middle East.” (Richard J. Aldrich, author of The Black Door) This dynamic history is the first to construct a total picture of the experience and impact of World War II in Iran and Iraq. Contending that these two countries were more important to the Allied forces’ war operations than has ever been acknowledged, historian Ashley Jackson investigates the grand strategy of the Allies and their operations in the region and the continuing legacy of Western intervention in the Middle East. Iran and Iraq served as the first WWII theater in which the U.S., the U.K., and the U.S.S.R. fought alongside each other. Jackson charts the intense Allied military activity in Iran and Iraq and reveals how deeply the war impacted common people’s lives. He also provides revelations about the true nature of Anglo-American relations in the region, the beginnings of the Cold War, and the continuing corrosive legacy of Western influence in these lands. “Skillfully brings together the complex range of developments that took place in Iraq and Iran during the Second World War.” —Evan Mawdsley, author of December 1941 “A brilliant book that confirms Ashley Jackson’s place among the preeminent scholars of the British empire.” —Joe Maiolo, author of Cry Havoc “Consistently fascinating and thought-provoking.” —Simon Ball, author of The Bitter Sea “In this lucid work, filled with telling details and well-crafted arguments, Jackson has finally revealed the undoubted significance of Iran and Iraq to the wider war.” —Niall Barr, author of Eisenhower's Armies

"A history of the relationship between Iran and America from the 1700s through the current day"--

Occupied Iran in World War II became the most important supply route to Russia and source of fuel to the Allies. Having pledged to meet Iran’s “minimum needs”, the Allies commandeered the means of transport, seized food and fuel, severely restricted imports, forced Iran to print money, brought Polish refugees from Russia, and initially did little to contain the chaos and insecurity. The resulting famine and typhus epidemic of 1942-43 had claimed 4 million lives amounting to a quarter of the population. This was in addition to the 8-10 million lost in the Great Famine of 1917-19. Iran’s 1944 population was the same as 1900, a perfect case of a Malthusian Catastrophe. Having previously described the World War I famine, and using US diplomatic, military, and intelligence records, as well as primary British sources, Majd completes the task by also telling the story of the World War II Iranian famine.