Persian Socialist Soviet Republic
Encyclopedia
The Persian Socialist Soviet Republic (widely known as the Soviet Republic of Gilan) was a short-lived Soviet republic in the Iran
ian province of Gilan that lasted from June 1920 until September 1921. It was established by Mirza Kouchek Khan Jangali, a leader of the Constitutionalist movement of Gilan
, and his Jangali (Foresters Movement) partisans, with the assistance of the Soviet Red Army
.
. In May 1920 the Soviet Caspian Fleet
led by Fedor Raskolnikov
and accompanied by Sergo Orzhonikidze
entered the Caspian
port of Anzali
. Formally this mission was declared to be only in pursuit of the Russian vessels and ammunition taken to Anzali by the White Russian
counter-revolutionary General Denikin, who had been given asylum by British forces in Anzali. The British garrison in Anzali was soon evacuated without any resistance and the British forces retrieved to Manjil
.
Faced with the conflict between his movement and the united British and central government forces, Kuchak Khan considered several choices. Mirza had previously considered seeking support from Bolsheviks when a year before he traveled on foot to Lankaran
to meet with them but by the time he arrived in that city the Red forces had been forced to evacuate.
Amongst the Jangalis there were many who felt that the Bolsheviks offered a real solution to the problems shared by both Russia and Iran
- namely the domination of the upper-classes and the Imperial Court. Kuchak Khan's second-in-command, Ehsanollah Khan, had become a communist and an ardent advocate of an alliance with the Bolsheviks. Kuchak Khan, though hesitant and cautious towards such an idea due to both his religious and nationalist background, accepted and the Jangalis entered into an agreement with the Bolsheviks.
This cooperation with the Soviet revolutionaries was based on some conditions including the announcement of the Persian Socialist Soviet Republic under his leadership and lack of any direct intervention by the Soviets in the internal affairs of the republic. The Soviets agreed to support him with ammunition and soldiers. Mirza offered to pay for the ammunition but the Soviets refused any payments.
On June 9, 1920 Mirza Kuchak Khan left Rasht in protest and also to avoid military confrontation (which he had always avoided as much as possible, even while fighting with the central government forces) and opened the way for the Communist (Edalat) party to set a coup d’etat. The new administration, formally under Ehsanollah Khan but actually under the influence of Abukov (the Soviet Commissar) started a series of radical activities such as anti-religious propaganda, forcing money out of the rich landlords, etc.
Conservative elements characterized these measures as simply the latest features of longstanding Russian interference in the region, and the middle-class were antagonized by the level of violence, disrespect for property, and the Russian ties of the Jangali movement. The Republic also lost support from the general population due to the exceedingly high number of war refugees who began flooding the urban centers, thus posing a significant economic problem.
was then signed, ensuring peaceful relations between the two countries and resulting in the withdrawal of Soviet forces.
Reza Khan Mirpanj, who had initiated a successful coup d'état with Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee
several days beforehand, then began reasserting central government control over Gilan and Mazandaran. The Soviet Republic of Gilan officially came to an end in September 1921. Mirza and his German friend Gauook (Hooshang) left alone in the Khalkhal Mountains, and died of frost bite. It is said that his body was decapitated by a local landlord and his head was displayed in Rasht to establish the government’s new hegemony over revolution and revolutionary ideas.
It has been suggested also that the change of policy on the Soviet side regarding pursuing global revolution (as advocated by Trotsky
) versus establishing and protecting the Soviet Union was the main reason for them to withdraw support from the Gilan Republic. The second option got more support and therefore Soviets signed a treaty with British in London (1921) which required them to retreat from Northern Iran. Correspondence between Theodore Rothstein
the Soviet ambassador in Tehran and Mirza Koochak Khan clearly supports this view (Ebrahim Fakhrayi). As part of his peace making efforts, Rothstein had also sent a message to the Soviet officers among Ehsanollah Khan's one thousand strong force that had made its way towards Qazvin
, not to obey his orders and as a result that campaign was defeated.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian province of Gilan that lasted from June 1920 until September 1921. It was established by Mirza Kouchek Khan Jangali, a leader of the Constitutionalist movement of Gilan
Constitutionalist movement of Gilan
The Jangal movement, in Gilan, was a rebellion against the monarchist rule of the Qajar central government of Iran. It is considered as the extension of Constitutional Revolution of Iran and lasted from 1914 to 1921.-History of the movement:...
, and his Jangali (Foresters Movement) partisans, with the assistance of the Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
.
Background and history
The Jangal movement that had been started in 1914 was further boosted and gained gravity after the victory of the Bolsheviks in RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In May 1920 the Soviet Caspian Fleet
Caspian Flotilla
The Caspian Flotilla is the oldest Russian military flotilla, stationed in the Caspian Sea. It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1945.-Establishment:...
led by Fedor Raskolnikov
Fedor Raskolnikov
Fyodor Fyodorovich Raskolnikov , real name Fyodor Ilyin , was a Bolshevik, participant in the October Revolution, commander of Red fleets on the Caspian and the Baltic during the Russian Civil War, and later a Soviet diplomat...
and accompanied by Sergo Orzhonikidze
Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze
Grigol Ordzhonikidze ორჯონიკიძე - Grigol Orjonikidze, , generally known as Sergo Ordzhonikidze ; – February 18, 1937) was a Georgian Bolshevik, later member of the CPSU Politburo and close friend to Joseph Stalin...
entered the Caspian
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
port of Anzali
Bandar-e Anzali
Bandar-e Anzali , also Romanized as Bandar-e Pahlavī, Bandar Pahlavi, and Bandar Pahlevi, or simply as Pahlavī, Pahlevī, and Pehlevi; earlier, Enceli and Enzeli) is a city in and the capital of Bandar-e Anzali County, Gilan Province, Iran...
. Formally this mission was declared to be only in pursuit of the Russian vessels and ammunition taken to Anzali by the White Russian
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
counter-revolutionary General Denikin, who had been given asylum by British forces in Anzali. The British garrison in Anzali was soon evacuated without any resistance and the British forces retrieved to Manjil
Manjil
Manjil is a city in the Central District of Rudbar County, Gilan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 16,028, in 4,447 families.-History and Geography:Manjil is located between N36º45´18˝-N36º41´42˝ and E49º23´6˝ and E49º31´ 48˝...
.
Faced with the conflict between his movement and the united British and central government forces, Kuchak Khan considered several choices. Mirza had previously considered seeking support from Bolsheviks when a year before he traveled on foot to Lankaran
Lankaran
-History:The city was built on a swamp along the northern bank of the river bearing the city's name. There are remains of human settlements in the area dating back to the Neolithic period as well as ruins of fortified villages from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Lankaran's history is rather recent,...
to meet with them but by the time he arrived in that city the Red forces had been forced to evacuate.
Amongst the Jangalis there were many who felt that the Bolsheviks offered a real solution to the problems shared by both Russia and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
- namely the domination of the upper-classes and the Imperial Court. Kuchak Khan's second-in-command, Ehsanollah Khan, had become a communist and an ardent advocate of an alliance with the Bolsheviks. Kuchak Khan, though hesitant and cautious towards such an idea due to both his religious and nationalist background, accepted and the Jangalis entered into an agreement with the Bolsheviks.
This cooperation with the Soviet revolutionaries was based on some conditions including the announcement of the Persian Socialist Soviet Republic under his leadership and lack of any direct intervention by the Soviets in the internal affairs of the republic. The Soviets agreed to support him with ammunition and soldiers. Mirza offered to pay for the ammunition but the Soviets refused any payments.
Formal declaration of the Republic
In May 1920 the Soviet Republic of Gilan, officially known as the Persian Socialist Soviet Republic, came into being. Of note is that the Republic did not redistribute land to poor peasants which was considered as a conservative position by the more radical forces of the Jangal movement. Therefore, soon disagreements arose between Mirza and his group of advisors on one side and the Soviets and the Iranian Communist Party (evolved from the Baku based Edalad (Justice) Party) on the other.On June 9, 1920 Mirza Kuchak Khan left Rasht in protest and also to avoid military confrontation (which he had always avoided as much as possible, even while fighting with the central government forces) and opened the way for the Communist (Edalat) party to set a coup d’etat. The new administration, formally under Ehsanollah Khan but actually under the influence of Abukov (the Soviet Commissar) started a series of radical activities such as anti-religious propaganda, forcing money out of the rich landlords, etc.
Conservative elements characterized these measures as simply the latest features of longstanding Russian interference in the region, and the middle-class were antagonized by the level of violence, disrespect for property, and the Russian ties of the Jangali movement. The Republic also lost support from the general population due to the exceedingly high number of war refugees who began flooding the urban centers, thus posing a significant economic problem.
First Cabinet
- Mohammad taghi Pir bazari - Finance commissioner
- Mir shams el din vaghari (Vagahr ol saltane) - Interial commissioner
- Seyyed Jafar Some'e sarai (Mohseni) - Foreign commissioner
- Mahmud Reza - Justice commissioner
- Abolghasem Rezazade (Fakhraei) - Trade commissioner
- Nasrollah Reza - Post & telegraph commissioner
- Mohammadali Gilak (Khomami) - Public benefits commissioner
- Ali Habibi - Police chief
- Dr. Mansur Bavar - Health head chief
- Mirza Shokrollah khan Tonekaboni (keyhan) - Research chief
- Amir taka - Head of war commission
Coup d'état
Mirza's efforts to resolve the bloody disputes by sending a petition through a delegate of two of his men to Lenin did not result in a resolution. By 1921, and particularly after the agreement achieved between the Soviet Union and Britain, the Soviets decided not to further support the Soviet Republic of Gilan. Therefore, the Russo-Persian Treaty of Friendship (1921)Russo-Persian Treaty of Friendship (1921)
The Russo-Persian Treaty of Friendship was signed on February 26, 1921 between representatives of Iran and the Soviet Russia. Based on the terms of the treaty, all previous agreements made between the signatories including the Treaty of Turkmenchay were canceled...
was then signed, ensuring peaceful relations between the two countries and resulting in the withdrawal of Soviet forces.
Reza Khan Mirpanj, who had initiated a successful coup d'état with Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee
Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee
Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee was an Iranian politician and the Prime Minister of Iran from February to May 1921 under Ahmad Shah, the last Shah of the Qajar dynasty....
several days beforehand, then began reasserting central government control over Gilan and Mazandaran. The Soviet Republic of Gilan officially came to an end in September 1921. Mirza and his German friend Gauook (Hooshang) left alone in the Khalkhal Mountains, and died of frost bite. It is said that his body was decapitated by a local landlord and his head was displayed in Rasht to establish the government’s new hegemony over revolution and revolutionary ideas.
Historical analysis
Historians have tried to analyze the factors that contributed to the demise of the Jangal movement. Some of the main studies including those by Gregor Yeghikian and Ebrahim Fakhrayi (Minister of Culture in Kuchak Khan's Cabinet of the Soviet Republic) suggest a role for both extremist actions taken by the Communist (Edalat) Party that provoked opposing religious sentiment among the public, and Mirza Kuchak Khan's religious and at times somewhat conservative views on collaboration with the Communist Party as possible factors.It has been suggested also that the change of policy on the Soviet side regarding pursuing global revolution (as advocated by Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
) versus establishing and protecting the Soviet Union was the main reason for them to withdraw support from the Gilan Republic. The second option got more support and therefore Soviets signed a treaty with British in London (1921) which required them to retreat from Northern Iran. Correspondence between Theodore Rothstein
Theodore Rothstein
Theodore Aronovich Rothstein was a journalist, writer and communist. He served as a Soviet ambassador in the 1920s.- Life :Theodore Aronovich Rothstein was born 1871 in the Imperial Russian city of Kovno , the son of a Jewish family.Rothstein left Russia in 1890 for political reasons and settled...
the Soviet ambassador in Tehran and Mirza Koochak Khan clearly supports this view (Ebrahim Fakhrayi). As part of his peace making efforts, Rothstein had also sent a message to the Soviet officers among Ehsanollah Khan's one thousand strong force that had made its way towards Qazvin
Qazvin
Qazvin is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 349,821, in 96,420 families....
, not to obey his orders and as a result that campaign was defeated.