Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Assistant Professor, Department of History, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
During the Constitutional Era, numerous associations were established in various regions of Iran, including Gilan. These organizations can be categorized into two groups: formal and informal. The Constitutionalist associations of Gilan possessed extensive political and social functions and played a pivotal role in the formation and advancement of the region’s peasant movement. Peasants across Gilan revolted against the landowners (Arbab), and the National Associations of Rasht and Abbas, in support of them, organized numerous rural branches. Conversely, associations such as “Landlords” (Mālekin), “Safaiyeh,” and “Khayrieh,” established by landowners and proponents of despotism, engaged in confrontation with the peasants. The primary goal of this research is to elucidate the role of these two spectrums of associations in the various stages of the Gilan peasant movement. This research was conducted relying on the historical method and a descriptive-analytical approach, utilizing library resources and national and local newspapers published during the Constitutional Era. The results demonstrated that the pro-peasant associations, despite their limitations, held a fundamental role in the leadership, support, and expansion of the movement across Gilan. On the other hand, the opposing associations, benefiting from governmental and parliamentary support, ultimately succeeded in suppressing the movement and re-establishing the landlord-tenant system. Although the Gilan peasant movement was ultimately suppressed, this movement left an indelible mark on the history of social transformations in Iran, standing as the first organized rural movement in contemporary Iranian history. This movement clearly showed that the rural society possessed a high capacity for political mobilization and participation, successfully elevating the issue of land and landlord-tenant relations into a national discourse. The experience of forming rural associations also exhibited a pioneering model of popular self-organization.
Associations of Mashroote era in Guilan, despite of deficiencies, play important roles in supporting, leadership and spread of peasant movement almost throughout the Guilan. Lack of support by parliament but supporting masters is the most important failure factor of Guilan peasant movement and return back of lord-slave system in mashroote era.
Keywords
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