Aryanews- Just 103 years ago, Iran, which had a long tradition of dictatorial states, achieved a dream which was hard to imagine by then; a dream as sweet as having a parliment. But what made this all come true was a movement which is known as The Iranian Constitutional Revolution.
The Iranian constitutional revolution, which leaded Iran's nation into a new era, was the first incident of its kind in all Asia. The role of this revolution in producing boundless opportunities for people is undeniable; and this urges all of us, all the Iranians to celebrate the memory of the people who made all this come true.
History of the revolution
At the beginning of the 20th century Qajar dynasty and its long state over the land of Persia had corrupted and weakened the nation.
The country was as much in debt as in march 1890 Nasir al-Din Shah, who was badly in need of money, granted a tobacco concession to a British company giving it an exclusive right to produce, sell, and export all of Iran's large tobacco crop in exchange for an annual payment of 15,000 British Pounds and 25% of annual profits. The concessions confronted with sever oppositions of people and clergies. The protests went so far that on December, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Shirazi, issued a fatwa against the usage of tobacco. Even the court women refused to smoke water pipe.
This Tobacco Protest set a precedent of united action by the ulema, bazaari and intellectuals to limit the power of the shah.
But it was just the beginning of the nation resistance in front of the court. The death of Naser Al-Din Shah did not put an end to the displeasure of the people. Weakness and extravigence continued during the brief reign of Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar.
The established noble classes, religious authorities, and educated elite began to demand a curb on royal authority and the establishment of the rule of law as their concern over foreign, and especially Russian, influence grew.
In 1905 protests broke out over the collection of Iranian tariffs to pay back the Russian loan for Mozzafar-al-Din Shah's royal tour. In December 1905, two Persian merchants were punished in Tehran for charging exorbitant prices. They were bastinadoed (a humiliating and very painful punishment where the soles of one's feet are caned) in public. An uprising of the merchant class in Tehran ensued, with merchants closing the bazaar. The clergy following suit as a result of the alliance formed in the 1892 Tobacco Rebellion.
The two protesting groups sought sanctuary in a mosque in Tehran, but the government violated this sanctuary and entered the mosque and dispersed the group. This violation of the sanctity of the mosque created an even larger movement which sought refuge in a shrine outside Tehran. On January 12, 1906 the Shah capitulated to the demonstrators agreeing to dismiss his prime minister and to surrender power to a new "house of justice," (the forerunner to the parliament). The Basti - protestors who take sanctuary in mosques - returned from the mosque in triumph riding royal carriages and hailed by jubilant crowd. In a scuffle in early 1906 the Government killed a seyyed. A more deadly skirmish followed a short time later when Cossaks killed 22 protesters and injured 100. Bazaar again closed and the Ulema went on strike, a large number of them taking sanctuary in the holy city Qom. Many merchants went to the British embassy which agreed to offer protection to Basti in the grounds of their legation.
Creation of the constitution
In the summer of 1906 approximately 12,000 men camped out in the gardens of the British Embassy. Many gave speeches, many more listened, in what has been called a `vast open-air school of political science` studying constitutionalism. It is here that the demand for a parliament was born, the goal of which was to limit the power of the Shah. In August 1906, Mozaffareddin Shah agreed to allow a parliament, and in the fall, the first elections were held. In all, 156 members were elected, with an overwhelming majority coming from Tehran and the merchant class.
October 1906 marked the first meeting of parliament, who immediately gave themselves the right to make a constitution, thereby becoming a Constitutional Assembly. The Shah was getting old and sick, and attending the inauguration of the parliament was one of his last acts as king. Muzaffar al-Din Shah's son Muhammed Ali, however, was not privy to constitutionalism. Therefore they had to work fast, and by December 31, 1906 the Shah signed the constitution, modeled primarily from the Belgian Constitution. The Shah was from there on "under the rule of law, and the crown became a divine gift given to the Shah by the people." Mozafaredeen Shah died five days later.
In the memory of those who gave us the gift of the constitution
They are so many of them, so many of whom that should be thanked for realization of a nation dream. But among all those, I can just right down the name of the well-known figures, whose memory will be carried always in the history of justice seeking people.
• Mirza Jahangir Khan - Founder and Editor of the Sur-e Esrafil newspaper.
• Malek al-Motakallemin
• Seyed Jamal Vaez
• Aref Ghazvini
• Mirza Ali Shirazi
• Ali Akbar Dehkhoda
• Sattar Khan - One of the main leaders of the revolutionary movement.
• Haj Baba Khan-e- Ardabili - Hero of Iranian Constitutional Revolution in Tehran, Tabriz and Ardabil.
• Bagher Khan
• Mirza Kuchak Khan - Founder of a revolutionary movement based in the forests of Gilan.
• Mirza Malkom Khan
• Sardar Assad - Bakhtiari tribal leader whose forces captured Tehran in 1909 for the constitutional movement.
• Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi - Satirist, writer and one of the pioneers in Iranian women's movement.
• Mohammad Taghi Bahar
• Abdol-Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma
• Sepahsalar Tonekaboni - Leader of the constitutionalist revolutionary forces from the northern provinvces of Gilan and Mazandaran, was the first to arrive in Tehran and liberate the city from the Royalist forces and became the first leader of the constitutionalist government.
... and all those whose names were never mentioned but their service will never be forgotten
