Russia's policies for securing economic dominance on trade in north and northwestern regions of Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student, Islamic Iran History, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, I.R. Iran

2 Professor, Department of History, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, I.R. Iran

3 Professor, Department of History, Isfahan University, Isfahan, I.R.Iran

Abstract

Purpose:  To secure their political and economic interests, Russians sought to build roads leading into the North and northwest parts of Iran. This paper looks in historical records to see where these plans led to.
Method and Research Design: Archival records and library materials were examined to collect data.
Findings and Conclusion: Russian military policy towards Iran changed in the 19th century. Similar to other imperialist powers, Russians regarded control of trade of target countries as important for political and military influence. One strategy they adopted was to build and maintain roads in parts of Iran where they had a military presence. To neutralize this, the Iranian government resisted the Russians' road building projects. But governments' revenues diminished seriously. Domestic small businesses were not able compete with Russian trade power. So the Iranian government agreed to the road construction by Russians in North and North West of Iran. This allowed the Russians to acquire economic and military dominance on this region.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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  • Receive Date: 24 April 2016
  • Revise Date: 28 April 2016
  • Accept Date: 27 November 2016

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