The Russians with the British, some now cheer, have made a solemn oath this very year, that within the politics of Iran, They will not interfere from this time on. It’s a shame that the appeased of this land, are content with the matter now at hand, for when cat and mouse together lie, the grocer may ‘s well kiss his store goodbye.

Iraj Mirza, 1907

(On the Anglo-Russian Treary 1907)

In 1907 , Russia and England, longtime rivals in the “Great Game” of influence in the Middle East and Central Asia, took advantage of the unrest and divided Iran into “Zones of influence,” Russia in the north (Including Tehran) and England in the southest, with the central region left nominally to the Iranain government as a buffer.

On 31 August 1907, Britain and Russia signed an agreement in St Petersburg which put in place the final piece of the alliance system which has widely been considered to have been a major contributing factor regarding the outbreak of the First World War. Since 1918 the Entente has been attributed to concerns about the rise of Germany. Yet the agreements did not mention Europe, but focused on Persia, Tibet and Afghanistan. There were good reasons why Britain and Russia focused on this area, including resolving the historic tension over the region that dated back to the 1830s which had been described as ‘the Great Game’.

Anglo-Russian Convention 1907, FO 94/880, The National Archives

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi was born in Tehran in 1896 to a traditional and religious Persian Family from Yazd. His Grandfather Khajeh Karim Al-Din was amongst the biggest landowners of Yazd and Isfahan. His father Mohammad Hassan, a fervent Islamic religious individual had a different vision for Ali Akbar than studying in the land of infidels (France). During his early life, Ali Akbar studied at the élite Tehran School of Political Sceince (Siassi School) and upon announcement of the Imperial Government of Persia to send 30 students on scholarship to Europe, he attended the national concours and successfully got selected to continue his education in France in 1913.

Our house was at the end of a cul-de-sac next to a famous market called ‘Mahdi Mouse’, fifty steps away from the Gate Square of Gazvin in Tehran. Our House like many other residences of that time had a rectangular yard from the north to south- in the middle there was a rectangular pond with red fish swimming in it with two narrow flowerbeds along its side. Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoir

In Iran becoming literate was a luxury of the elite and noble families of the middle to upper class, the socially rich who could afford private teachers or send their children with public transportation to limited schools at that time. Most Iranians of that time were very religioulsy prejudiced and held in contempt what was foreign to them. For them it was hard to adapt from sitting on the ground to sitting on “chairs” from being in different “classes” with different “program”. My Father was a very devoutly religious man. He only accpeted that I attend a primary school (“maktab”) that was close to our house mastered by Sheikh Mohammad Hussein. Mr Mirza moved the whip-like stick that he had in his hand and told the kids to make space for me. After from the drawer of a small desk in front of him took out a small booklet that all the other children had and placed it in front of me. It became apparent that this was our study material and it was called “Ameh Jozveh”. This was my first day at “maktab”.

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoirs

One day came when I talked about Mr. Mirza maktab among other things that I also am learning to study and showed to our landlord’s son Mahmoud my book from, Ameh Jozveh. He looked at it with scorn, went on to take out his book from his new book to a passge written in beautiful cursive handwrittting and told me : “This is what you call a study book, not what you have that is only good for wrapping up spices from an herb shop.” Until then I had not noticed the difference between the quality of book papers. Upon hearing these words in such a way, I felt very weak and inferior and my mother who was very botherred by all of this and could not alleviate the situation by caresssing me exclaimed: “My dear son, would you like to attend school? This does not require mourning – we will also send you to school.” Two weeks after that incident, I left “Sheikh Ali’s” maktab and went to Kherad School just on the corner of our house.

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoir

When I graduated from Kherad School, I chose to continue my education at the College of Political Science established in 1899 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Bagher Khan my french teacher said: “ Now that you have graduated from Kherad school, where do you want to go? Daral.Funoon or Political Science School?” I’m not sure I replied. He suggested I attend Political Science school because it was a very good school. I passed th entrance exam of Political Science College and was granted admission.

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoir

The School of Political Science was founded in 1899 by Hassan Pirnia.

“The Youth are the future of our great historic country. The more learned, well mannered, mentally preapred you become the better your prospects are for all future projects and job positions making you more likely to succeed and be recognized and respected by your community for what you continue to contribute. “ Dr. Vali-Allah Khan, Dean of Tehran School of Political Science

In the month of Khordad, I passed the third year of my final exams at Political Sceince School and was ready to go onto my fourth year, when a small unexpected event changed the entire trajectory of my life.

My Classmate Alireza Khan (Mansour) said: “I hope we both succeed in going to Europe and continuing our education there. Are you ready for the government competition?” The very next day I went to Daral-Funoon School to sign up.

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoir

Mohamma-Ali Foroughi, Dean of Tehran School of Political Science.

Mirza Ali Akbar Khan (Siassi) Tehran 1913

Mohammad Rahim Khan- “What is your name? “I said Ali Akbar. He said: “I congratulate you, Mirza Ali Akbar Khan, you are accepted to go to France on Imperial Government scholarship, being in the top 5 tiers.”

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoirs

From Tehran To Paris

In 1913 there were no cars, motorcycles, or buses in Iran. We traveled with four stagecoaches, six people in each. The most important matter that took place in these fifteen days was that Monsieur Richard told us: “Abroad they have surnames. We answered, What kind of animal is this?” Habib-Allah Khan translated and said he means we need last names. Richard replies, “Yes it isn’t common in Iran but it’s commonplace and necessary here.” Then he questioned us and chose a name for each of us- Richard got to me and stated: “ I know you were a student at the Siassi school, so your family name will be “SIASSI.”

Fifteen days after we started out on our journey we finally arrived in Paris. When we said we were Persian, they would quietly repeat Montesquieu’s phrase to each other: “Comment peut-on être Persan?”Montesquieu, Lettres persanes.

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoir

From Tehran To Paris

At boarding school in France I found such a profound affinity for the French language and literatrue that most of my free time was spent reading the works of great French writers. I read the plays of Corneille, Racine, Moliere and many novels from Balzac, Alexandrde Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Guy Maupassant as well as the peoms of Hugo, Lamrtine, and Alfred de Musset. Within two years, I achieved the work of three years meaning I received first the Baccalaureat and then the Bachelor’s degree.

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoir

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The First

World War and

Returning to Iran

When World War I began in August of 1914 it caused an upheaval in our lives in France . A year and half of the war passed , and we were in difficult situation without any financial help from Persian government who finally decided to provide the means for the students’ return. We passed through Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, The Balkans, and pre-red October 1917 Russia and in Baku.

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoirs

The Persian famine of 1917–1919 was a period of widespread mass starvation and disease in Persia (Iran) under the rule of the Qajar dynasty during World War I. The famine took place in the territory of Iran, which despite declaring neutrality was occupied by the forces of British, Russian and Ottoman empires whose occupation contributed to the famine.

So far, few historians have researched the famine, making it an understudied subject of modern history. The number of people who died between 1917 and 1919 because of hunger and from diseases, which included cholera, plague and typhus, as well as influenza infected by 1918 flu pandemic, has been variously given at 2 million, 6 million, and 8-10 million. A variety of factors are commented to have caused and contributed to the famine, including successive seasonal droughts, requisitioning and confiscation of foodstuffs by occupying armies, speculation, hoarding, war profiteering, and poor harvests.

Source Wikipedia

Official statistics are inexistant, it has been evaluated that a minimum of 50’000 Iranian have died in Tehran only out of 300’000 resident of the capital. Same ratio can be presumed for the other cities as well. “La Perse Au contact de L’occident, Ali Akbar Siassi, 1931

All throughout the 19th century until the communist revolution of 1917 when imperial Russia became Communist Russia, the policy of the British Empire was to keep Iran dependent, backwards, poor, and without highways, as a buffer between Russia and its largest colony, India. This political tactic was put into play by Britain when Napoleon was planning to pass his army through Iran to conquer India.

However, after the Russia’s revolution in 1917 the communist government’s attention its southern borders, especially Iran, forced Britain to change its political strategy on Iran completely.

Thus, it reached agreement with Iran’s Prime Minister Vusoogh ol-Dowleh practically handing over the (Department of Finance) and (The Military) To England

Dr. Ali Akbar Siassi, Memoirs

Vussoug ol-Dowleh played a leading role in negotiations that resulted in the 1919 Anglo-Persian Agreement, which led to allegations that he had been bribed by the British. Although Vossug denied that he had enriched himself personally and also offered to repay the money, his reputation was so damaged that he left Iran.

Source Wikipedia

Ultimately, this agreement, and Lord Curzon specifically, was to be heavily criticized on the international stage for the pursuit of an outmoded imperial diplomacy. The French and American press attacked Britain for treating Iran as a protectorate and for the secrecy surrounding the negotiations. The French and United States governments began quietly campaigning against the agreement and declined to recognize it.

The international uproar aside, the agreement was to suffer from other interconnected factors. Lord Curzon had also forced this agreement on Britain. Others in government and the Government of India had been against greater involvement in Iran. Soviet Russia, also against the agreement, responded by landing a Russian military force in the Caspian, intent on securing the Iranian capital Tehran. Despite the aftereffects of the Russian Revolution, Lord Curzon was surprised to see that they were still a factor in Iranian politics.

Fundamentally, however, Lord Curzon had not expected the Iranian reaction to the agreement. Greeted as a final nail in Iranian sovereignty, this agreement which had been facilitated by British bribes, epitomized everything which a growing Iranian polity considered wrong in their relationship with foreign powers. The secrecy in which it had been negotiated and the use of bribery were two factors in international diplomacy which President Wilson opposed. The agreement was never to be ratified by Iran’s parliament but the negotiation of such an agreement, the very antithesis of Iran’s aims at the Peace of Paris, would undercut the Iranian attempts to get a hearing.

The Big Four in Paris. Vittorio Orlando (Italy), David Lloyd George (Britain), Georges Clemenceau (France), Woodrow Wilson (USA) (left to right).