Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 35 The Crown Prince's Reform Plan

Wallace has observed the changes that have taken place in Iran over the past two months, which he sees as a Persian version of the Tanzimat reforms. He believes Britain could appropriately assist Persia in its reforms, thereby increasing pro-British influence.

British Prime Minister Robert Peel received numerous reports from Persia, learning of the Shah's plans for reforms, and consulted with Foreign Secretary Lord Aberdeen. Previously, the push for Ottoman reforms had been aimed at creating a confrontation between the Ottomans and Russia. While the Mediterranean was secured, it was crucial to strengthen Persia in the Indian Ocean region to completely block Russia's southward expansion.

However, the situation at home in Britain distracted the Prime Minister. The late epidemic that broke out in Ireland last year thwarted Peel's efforts to alleviate the Irish crisis. Ireland's potato harvest failed, leaving residents without staple food. Approximately three million poor people who relied on potatoes for their livelihood needed cheap food imports. Peel argued that the food import tax would unnecessarily increase food imports and demanded its abolition to resolve the Irish crisis.

This year, Peel submitted three bills to Parliament. The first bill planned to completely abolish the food import tax in three years. The second bill was to reduce all tariffs. The third bill was a set of coercive measures to protect Irish property and life. The first two bills were passed, while the third was opposed by a coalition of tax protectors, extremists, Whigs, and Irish people.

The British government's crisis is worsening, to the point where it may have to step down. They are powerless to help the Persians and can only hope that the next British government will support them.

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Nasser al-Din also learned of the Shah's decree and quickly wrote a memorial to the throne. Its contents were essentially the same as Amir's, but focused more on economic, military, and diplomatic matters.

"The nation's predicament lies in three areas: the economy, the military, and diplomacy. Economic exhaustion and a weak military lead to diplomatic difficulties, which in turn exacerbate the economic crisis, thus creating a vicious cycle."

To change the status quo, the economy must be changed. First, advanced machinery should be introduced, and the people should be guided to invest in building factories, thereby introducing new technologies. Second, new knowledge should be used to guide the people to understand the world and contribute useful talent to the nation…”

In Nasser al-Din's view, the most fundamental issue is economic development, which drives development in other areas. However, with economic development, ideology will naturally follow. He believes that sending Iran to Prussia to study military affairs was the right decision; going to France might bring back nationalist and republican ideas that would not be satisfied until Iran is torn apart.

The progressive association that Amir recently started seems to be doing well; he even received 1000 rials to become a member and subscribes to the newspaper. It's the first political organization in Persia, which is of great significance here.

According to their first meeting, this was an organization that blended nationalism, expansionism, and Shia theological thought. Just two weeks after its founding, Ayatollah joined the association with 25 religious scholars, thus imbuing it with strong religious elements.

Unlike the conservative religious ideologies of Qom, the Shia clergy of Tabriz maintained an open attitude. They allowed appropriate changes within the bounds of the Quran and even sought supportive viewpoints for the governor. For example, regarding the establishment of banks, while the Quran forbids usury, the Ayatollah explained that it was a necessary measure to eliminate usury, and that the interest rates were very reasonable, thus eliminating the need for farmers to borrow at exorbitant rates—a beneficial measure for the country and its people. Other matters were also explained by the Ayatollah and his colleagues: the establishment of schools was not for power struggles but for training professionals; railways were built to facilitate pilgrimages—otherwise, who would waste money on them?

Moreover, these new things have brought about positive changes for the people. For example, the introduced potatoes have a yield several times that of wheat and can withstand harsher environments. If they are promoted, they can save many lives.

News also came from Berlin that the Prussian government, after deliberation, agreed to send a corps of officers headed by Moltke to Tabriz. They also planned to establish a consulate in Tabriz and an embassy in Tehran to strengthen ties between the two countries.

This is indeed good news. Engaging more with Europeans can provide room for maneuver in future diplomacy. The main diplomatic policy now is to cooperate with Britain against Russia; it's essential to continuously amplify the Russian threat. If they gain access to the Persian Gulf ports, India will be in danger.

Recently, imports from Russia and the Ottoman Empire have begun to change, with textiles such as cotton cloth being replaced by cotton as the raw material. This isn't their fault; their two neighbors are simply too poor. Russia, a major exporter of primary products, has its textile industry centers in cities like Kiev, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. As for the south, apart from the vast steppes and Tsaritsyn, its only industrial and commercial center, there's not much else. Previously, most of the textiles exported came from there.

However, since Tabriz initiated its industrial revolution, the imports of textiles began to decrease, not only in Tabriz but also in Mazandran, Tehran, Gilan, and other places. At the same time, cotton imports surged, and Russian merchants, seeing this, naturally abandoned industrial goods like cotton cloth and exported the more profitable cotton.

As for the Ottomans, needless to say, they only acquired a number of machinery enterprises in the Levant last year, primarily in the silk processing industry. Their cotton textile industry showed no signs of improvement, and they had to purchase textiles from Europe and Persia.

This situation presents a good opportunity for Iranian industry to enhance its capabilities, provided that policy support is in place.

Nasser al-Din wrote fifty-six recommendations covering six areas: economy, military, diplomacy, culture, society, and law. He also outlined Iran's future diplomatic policy: to cultivate good relations with Britain, to attack Russia and reclaim Yerevan and northern Azerbaijan, and to seize the agriculturally rich Mesopotamian and Syrian territories from the Ottoman Empire.

This is still the foreign policy towards the west. To the east, the main focus is on Central Asia and Afghanistan. Because of its proximity to India, which borders Britain, more caution is needed. Attention should still be paid to three Central Asian countries: Khiva, Bukhara, and Kokand. Even if Iran doesn't take them, Russia will. In that case, Iran must take them. This would not only add a huge market of millions of people but also create a buffer zone between Iran and Russia.

Of course, these suggestions do not deviate from Iranian native culture and Shia religious thought. If Iran were to learn everything from the West, it would lose its way. It would be better to base its reforms on its own culture, combined with advanced Western technology, to carry out a comprehensive reform. This is the best approach.

(End of this chapter)