In the spring of 1920 a new issue of the newspaper Tajaddud passed from hand to hand in the streets of Tabriz. It wrote that the Tehran government had handed the country’s fate to foreigners and forgotten the laws of the Constitution. A few days later the administration of the city passed to the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, and the province was renamed «Azadistan», the «land of freedom». Who led this movement, and why did it last only five months?
Southern Azerbaijan after the war: causes of discontent
Although Iran was officially neutral in the First World War, Southern Azerbaijan had become a battlefield for Russian and Ottoman troops (see «Southern Azerbaijan in the early 20th century: the Constitutional Revolution and WWI»). After 1917 the Russian troops left the country; in 1918 Ottoman troops entered Tabriz, and after the Armistice of Mudros they too withdrew. Britain’s influence in the region grew fast.
The war had ruined the economy: trade was disrupted, prices rose, and in 1917–1918 famine took thousands of lives. Ahmad Shah Qajar’s government in Tehran was weak, the officials sent to the province acted arbitrarily, and the order promised by the Constitution was not observed. The greatest discontent was caused by the Anglo-Iranian Agreement of 9 August 1919: the government of Prime Minister Vosugh od-Dowleh agreed to bring British advisers into Iran’s army and finances and to take a British loan. This made Iran in practice dependent on Britain; the agreement therefore caused wide protest in the country, and the Iranian Majlis never ratified it.
Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani and the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan
The discontent was organised by Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani. He had been an active participant in the Constitutional Revolution and a deputy for Tabriz in the Iranian Majlis (the second convocation). In 1917 the Azerbaijani organisation of the Iranian Democratic Party was restored in Tabriz and soon took the name Democratic Party of Azerbaijan. Its newspaper was Tajaddud («Renewal»). The party demanded that the constitutional order be put into practice, that the province be run by people the population trusted and that foreign influence end, and it firmly opposed the 1919 agreement.
The 1920 uprising and the National Government
On 7 April 1920 an uprising led by Khiyabani began in Tabriz. The Democrats took over the city’s administration, and the movement spread to other towns of Azerbaijan. The province was named «Azadistan»; historians explain the choice of this name as a protest against Tehran’s policy and an expression of the idea of freedom, though views on its reasons differ. In June 1920 a National Government was formed under Khiyabani’s leadership.
Khiyabani did not demand separation from Iran: he wanted to begin building a democratic order for the whole of Iran in Azerbaijan. The National Government took over the administration of the province, formed national units to keep order, opposed officials’ arbitrariness and planned measures in education, health and the economy. Khiyabani tried to keep away from the influence of both Britain and Soviet Russia.
At the same time there was another movement in northern Iran: the Jangali movement in Gilan, led by Mirza Kuchik Khan. After Soviet troops landed at Anzali, the Soviet Republic of Gilan was proclaimed in Rasht in June 1920. Unlike Khiyabani’s, this movement relied on Soviet Russia’s support; it too was suppressed in 1921.
The fall and significance of the movement
The Tehran government appointed Mehdigulu khan Mokhber os-Saltaneh governor of Azerbaijan. After arriving in Tabriz he attacked the Democrats with the help of Cossack units. In September 1920 the National Government was overthrown, Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani was killed and the movement’s participants were persecuted.
Historians point to these causes of the defeat: the movement was mostly limited to the towns and failed to draw in the peasants widely, it had no strong armed force, the other provinces of Iran did not support it, and there were disagreements in its leadership. Even so, the Khiyabani movement became an important stage of the national-democratic struggle in Southern Azerbaijan and an example for later movements. With Reza Khan’s coup of 21 February 1921 a new period began in Iran (see «Southern Azerbaijan in the 1920s–1940s: Reza Shah, Pishevari and the National Government»).
- 1917
The Azerbaijani organisation of the Democratic Party is restored in Tabriz
Led by Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani; its newspaper was Tajaddud.
- 1918
Ottoman troops enter Tabriz
- 30 October 1918
Armistice of Mudros; the Ottoman troops withdraw
- 9 August 1919
Anglo-Iranian Agreement
- 7 April 1920
Tabriz uprising led by Khiyabani
- June 1920
A National Government is formed in Tabriz
- June 1920
The Soviet Republic of Gilan is proclaimed in Rasht
- September 1920
The National Government falls; Khiyabani is killed
- 21 February 1921
Reza Khan’s coup
- 1921
The Gilan movement is suppressed
Interactive
| Person | Who he was | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani | leader of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, head of the National Government | 1917–1920 |
| Ahmad Shah Qajar | shah of Iran | 1909–1925 |
| Vosugh od-Dowleh | head of the government that signed the 1919 agreement | 1919 |
| Mokhber os-Saltaneh | governor of Azerbaijan who crushed the movement | 1920 |
| Mirza Kuchik Khan | leader of the Gilan movement | 1920–1921 |
| Cause | Result |
|---|---|
| War damage, famine, high prices | mass discontent |
| The 1919 Anglo-Iranian Agreement | protest by the Democratic Party; the uprising of 7 April 1920 |
| The uprising succeeds | «Azadistan»; a National Government in June |
| Tehran’s governor and the Cossack units | September 1920: the government falls, Khiyabani is killed |
| Peasants not drawn in, weak armed force, no support from other provinces | the movement’s defeat |
| Feature | Tabriz uprising (1908–1909) | Khiyabani movement (1920) | Gilan movement (1920–1921) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Sattar Khan, Bagir Khan | Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani | Mirza Kuchik Khan |
| Centre | Tabriz | Tabriz | Rasht |
| Main aim | to defend the Constitution against Mohammad Ali Shah | constitutional order, government trusted by the people, protest against the 1919 agreement | struggle against Tehran and the British; a Soviet republic |
| Foreign power | Russian troops entered Tabriz (1909) | relied on no foreign support | Soviet Russia’s support |
We do not want to separate from Iran. We want the constitutional laws that the people won with their blood not to remain on paper, a Majlis elected by the people to meet, and the province to be run by people whom the population trusts.
Those who sit in Tehran have signed an agreement that hands the country’s army and treasury to foreign advisers. Azerbaijan cannot accept this. Our movement is a movement for freedom; that is why we call this land Azadistan. Freedom must begin in Tabriz and spread to the whole of Iran.
Source tasks
Problem
1. Identify the author, the centre of the movement and the year.
2. Name the agreement the text does not name, and explain one political and one social-economic cause of the movement.
3. Give two results not stated in the text.
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Solution
2. The agreement is the Anglo-Iranian Agreement of 9 August 1919. Political: the Tehran government was weak and ignored the constitutional order, and the agreement made the country dependent on Britain. Social-economic: war damage, the famine of 1917–1918, high prices. Marks: agreement + two causes — 1; agreement + one cause, or only two causes — ½.
3. For example: a) a National Government was formed in June; b) Tehran’s governor Mokhber os-Saltaneh crushed the movement with Cossack units, and Khiyabani was killed in September; c) the movement became an example for later national movements in Southern Azerbaijan. Marks: two well-founded results — 1; one — ½; repeating the text — 0.
1. «Like X, unlike Y»
Problem
Which features make the Khiyabani movement like the Tabriz uprising of 1908–1909 (1) and unlike the Gilan movement (2)?
A) 1 — its centre was Tabriz; 2 — it did not rely on Soviet Russia’s support
B) 1 — it was directed against Mohammad Ali Shah; 2 — it took place in 1920
C) 1 — it was led by Sattar Khan; 2 — it took place in Tabriz
D) 1 — it proclaimed a Soviet republic; 2 — its centre was Rasht
E) 1 — it opposed the 1919 agreement; 2 — it was led by Mirza Kuchik Khan
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Solution
2) Check A: both Tabriz movements were centred in Tabriz; the Gilan movement relied on Soviet support, Khiyabani’s did not.
Answer: A.
2. Chronology
Problem
1. the fall of Khiyabani’s government
2. the Anglo-Iranian Agreement
3. Reza Khan’s coup
4. the uprising of 7 April in Tabriz
A) 2, 1, 4, 3 B) 4, 2, 1, 3 C) 2, 4, 1, 3 D) 2, 4, 3, 1 E) 4, 1, 2, 3
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Solution
2) The agreement caused the uprising, so it comes first → B and E are out.
3) The uprising came before the fall → A is out; the coup is in 1921, the last → D is out.
Answer: C (2, 4, 1, 3).
3. «Not related»
Problem
Which was NOT a cause of the defeat of the Khiyabani movement?
A) the movement was mostly limited to the towns
B) it had no strong armed force
C) the other provinces of Iran did not support it
D) the Tehran government used Cossack units
E) the Iranian Majlis ratified the 1919 agreement
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Solution
2) E is factually wrong: the Iranian Majlis did not ratify the agreement.
Answer: E.
Remember
- War damage, the famine of 1917–1918, a weak Tehran government and the Anglo-Iranian Agreement of 9 August 1919 deepened discontent in Southern Azerbaijan.
- The Democratic Party of Azerbaijan was led by Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani; its newspaper was Tajaddud.
- The uprising began in Tabriz on 7 April 1920, the province was named «Azadistan» and a National Government was formed in June; Khiyabani demanded the constitutional order, not separation from Iran.
- In September 1920 governor Mokhber os-Saltaneh crushed the movement with Cossack units and Khiyabani was killed; unlike the Gilan movement, Khiyabani did not rely on Soviet support.