Mirza Kuchik Khan
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Mirza Kuchak Khan | |
---|---|
In office 8 May 1921 – September 1921 | |
Preceded by | Ehsanollah Khan Dustdar[1] |
Succeeded by | Ehsanollah Khan Dustdar[1] |
Chairman of Council of People's Commissars of Persian Soviet Republic[1] | |
In office 5 June 1920 – 31 July 1920 | |
Preceded by | Office instituted |
Succeeded by | Office abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Yunes 12 October 1880 Rasht, Iran |
Died | 2 December 1921 Khalkhal, Iran | (aged 41)
Political party | Unity of Islam Party[2] (1915–18) |
Other political affiliations | Moderate Socialists Party (1910s)[3] |
Signature | |
Mirza Kuchik Khan (
Early life
Mirza Kuchak Khan was born Yunes, son of Mirza "Bozorg" (the Persian equivalent of "Sr"), and was thus nicknamed Mirza "Kuchak" (the Persian equivalent of "Jr"), in the city of Rasht in northern Iran in 1880. His father was a Gilani merchant.[6]
Political activities
In June 1908 the parliament was shut down during a
After going through a period of renewed and bloody dictatorship nicknamed the Short Dictatorship (or Lesser Autocracy), in July 1909 the national revolutionary forces from
. Mirza Kuchak Khan was one of the lower rank commanders of the force that invaded the capital from the North (under the command of Sepahdar Aazam Mohammad Vali Khan Tonekaboni).Jangal movement
Unfortunately, given the shortcomings of the advanced social thinkers and activists of the time on one hand and the stronger establishment of the old autocracy on the other hand, again the same privileged class and their political representatives took control of the new regime. The freedom fighters were not satisfied and were in fact disarmed, in some cases using force. Meanwhile, the direct and indirect manipulation of the country's internal politics by
]It was during such tumultuous period that Mirza Kuchak Khan, in collaboration with the Society of Islamic Union, started his uprising in the northern forests (Southern Caspian). Initially, the headquarters of the movement was in Kasma. Mirza Kuchak Khan's return to Rasht was not easy since he had been expelled from Gilan by the Russian consulate for five years. His cause seems to have been a mixture of that of the newly emerging national bourgeoisie and downtrodden peasants and therefore gained momentum soon after it started. The Jangal forces (locally referred to as 'Jangalis' i.e., 'People of the Jungle' in Persian) defeated the local governmental and Russian troops which added to their reputation as potential saviors of the ideas of the constitutional revolution.[citation needed]
On June 12, 1918
The Jangal movement was further boosted and gained gravity after the
Socialist Republic of Gilan
Mirza Kuchak Khan agreed to cooperate with the Soviet revolutionaries on some conditions including the announcement of the
Saadollah Darvish is appointed as the Chair of the Revolutionary Council (Commissar) of the forces missioned to Mazandaran Province, to promote the Red Iranian Revolution in that province. The letter is signed by Mirza Kuchak Khan (his usual signature Kuchek-e Jangali i.e., Kuchek of the Jungle) and other members of the Revolutionary Council of The Republic of Iran, 1920. The tone and the terminology used in the letter shows the revolutionary fervor of the time and, contrary to the suggestion of conservatism on Mirza's side by some historians, his devotion to the ideas of socialism.
Mirza's death
Mirza and his companion named Gaouk, a Russian-German revolutionary adventurer, left alone in Talesh mountains around "Masal", both died of frostbite. 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. They buried his body in Soleymandarab in Rasht and sent his severed head to Cossack commander Reza Khan (who later became the first Pahlavi King of Iran) in Tehran. During the Second World War and after the departure of Reza Shah for exile, friends of Mirza Kuchak brought his head back from Tehran and buried it in his tomb. The tomb of Mirza kuchak in Rasht was reconstructed after the Islamic revolution.[10]
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 Gregory Yeghikian and Ebrahim Fakhrayi (minister of Culture in Mirza's Cabinet of the Red Republic) suggest a role for both extremist actions taken by the Communist (Edalat) Party that provoked opposing religious sentiment among the public, and Mirza Koochak 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
See also
- Gilan
- Iran-Russia relations
- Iranian Constitutional Revolution
- Jungle Movement of Gilan
References
- ^ a b c d Cahon, Ben. "Iran – Gilan". World Statesmen. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ISSN 1735-3173.
- ISBN 0-520-08503-5.
- ^ https://parstoday.com/id/news/iran-i87817-11_azar_iran_peringati_mirza_kuchak_khan_jangali
- ISBN 978-0857731876.
Leaders of regional movements like Ra'is Ali Dilvari, Mirza Kuchik Khan, Muhammad Khiyabani and others or revered politically active intellectuals such as Mirza Hassan Khan Pir Nia Mushir al-Dawlah or Hassan Mudarris have become unquestioned national heroes (...)
- ^ Afary 1995, p. 4.
- ^ "Lionel Dunsterville Diary". Gwpda.org. 2005-03-02. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
- ^ "Mirza Koochak Khan, Lenin". The Iranian. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
- ^ [1] Archived February 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Quiz". The Iranian. 2002-09-06. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
- ^ [2] Archived February 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- Afary, Janet (1995). "The Contentious Historiography of the Gilan Republic in Iran: A Critical Exploration". Iranian Studies. 28 (1/2): 3–24. JSTOR 4310915. (registration required)
- Ebrahim Fakhrayi, Sardar-e Jangal (The Commander of the Jangalis), Tehran: Javidan,1983, and Shaban Khan Jangali (Mirza's nephew), His name was not mentioned as the writer or researcher. He was always with Mirza in all battles and brought Mirza's head to Rasht. He is buried next to Mirza.
- Gregor Yaghikiyan, Shooravi and Jonbesh-e Jangal (The Soviet Union and the Jangali Movement), Editor: Borzouyeh Dehgan, Tehran: Novin, 1984.
- ISBN 9780822937920.