The Military Reform In The Late Period Of The Kazad Dynasty (1879-1921)

Iran is an ancient civilization with a long history and was known as "Persia" before 1935. Iran is a multinational and feudal tribal country before the Pahlavi State(1925-1979). And the special terrain of high mountains and plateaus make ethnics and tribes live in separate geographic units. Therefore, they formed respective organized institution and live either without communication from each other or robbing of others from different ethnic groups. The central government lack an efficient system to administer the local people as well. However, the Late Qajar Dynasty(1796-1921) is a key period for Iran to transfer itself from a feudal tribal country to a centralized nation-state.Iran had ever made a comprehensive reform in 1970s which aimed at westernizing the politic,economic and culture of Iran, etc. And the capital of Russia and Great Britain also march into Iran through the reform. The traditional native bazaar businessman’s interests and Islamic belief confront a serious menace.In the early of 1890s, the bazaar businessmen and ulama throughout the country firstly stepped over obstacles of region and classes joined together to resist the invasion of the two powers and protest shah’s xenophile policy,launched the famous tobacco rebellion. From then on, Iranian began a series of attempts building Iran a nation-state. During that time, Persia Cossack Brigade and Government Gendarmery respectively existed on political arena in the late Qajar Iran,and the former as a national negate scale,latter as a national benchmark. This thesis with a view to the most important two military reforms in Qajar Iran describes the general condition,development and backgrounds of two forces which are established in the reforms, puts importance on analyzing the interaction between the two forces and Iran’s international and domestic circumstance at that time. Then outlining the developing path from national awakening of Iran to the creation of Iran nation-state.This article includes the following four parts:The first part overviews the historical background of the establishing of Qajar Iran, then analyzes the character of the country and the reasons why the rulers of the early Qajar Dynasty devoted to military reforms. Finally describes the original military condition and almost every military reform during the early Qajar Dynasty.The second part expounds the basic condition of the Persia Cossack Brigade between 1879 and 1917.This chapter first discusses the establishing procedure and the early development of the force.Then, describes the Brigade act as the shah’s tool to suppress the Majlis(parliament) during the Constitution Revolution(1905-11),and gives details of reaction of Russia and the Great Britain resulted from the forces’behavior in the background that the Anglo-Russia Convention signed in 1907. Thirdly, analyzes the affection of the politic situation in Russia in 1917 to the Brigade. Finally,points out the Brigade from its birth existed as a tool for.Russia to enforce its influence on Iran. Nevertheless acted as a national negate scale, the Brigade stimulated the birth and development of Iran nationalism.The third part emphasizes discussing some details about Government Gendarmery. At first,describes the establishment and its early development. Secondly,talks about the outstanding national position that the Gendarmery took and the important roles the force played in the Muhajirat Event during the First World War.Thirdly, discusses the ending result of Gendarmery all over the country after the Muhajirat Event and the reorganization of the force followed. Fourthly,introduce some details of the South Persia Rifles(S.P.R) which is a force directly established and commanded by English officers.The reason why bring this part into this chapter is due to S.P.R absorbed a lot of ex-gendarmery who dispersed in the South Persia,and at the moment of dismissing of Gendarmery the Great Britain thrust its influence in the South Persia directly. Owing to this,the reorganized Government Gendarmery is seriously excluded in the South Persia. At last, conclude that the Government Gendarmery is an important fruit of the Iranians attempts to build the Iran nation-state, it bore the whole hope of the of Iran nationalists.The fourth part, mainly analyze the two forces,Persia Cossack Brigade and the Government Gendarmery, which all the time oppose to each other gradually joined together in the international and domestic political circumstance, and launched the February Coup in 1921. The leaders of the two forces experienced a series of political conflicts after the coup which lead to the two institution merged into a newly built united national army,and the Iran nation-state commence an undertaking from it.The conclusion part summarizes the characteristics of the Government Gendarmery and Persia Cossack Brigade compared with Nezams. The two forces respectively pushed the Iran nationalism developing from the positive and negative sides,and in the end they lay the foundation and created the conditions for Iran nation-state.