Exclusive Properties of the West: Formation and Process of Dispossession of Landowners and Small Landowners (1925–1941)

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Department of History, Archival Research Institute, National Library and Archives of Iran, Tehran, Iran

10.30484/ganj.2025.3275

Abstract

Purpose: This study will investigate how the Imperial Properties of the West came into being and outline the process by which landowners in this area were dispossessed.
Method and Research Design: This research, based on a descriptive-analytical method and using hitherto unpublished archival records, tries to shed light on the formation, procedures, and mechanisms of dispossessing landowners and smallholders, as well as the quantitative expansion of lands placed under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Properties Administration of the West.
Findings and Conclusion: The findings indicate that the Western Properties Administration pursued a specific and targeted strategy to acquire extensive landholdings in vast areas of Kermanshah in the name of Reza Shah. The geographic areas targeted by this organization were to be cleared of any ownership other than Reza Shah’s within a defined period.  The results reveal that the Western Real Estate Administration employed varied methods of purchase, exchange, and aggressive occupation in order to extend the circle of its territories. Although the ultimate goal was the expropriation and integration of lands into the domain of the Real Estate Administration, the outward form of transactions generally conformed to Islamic law, formal documentation, and monetary payment.

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References

English Translation of References
Documents
Sāzmān-e Asnād va Ketābxāne-ye Melli-ye Irān (Sākmā) (National Library and Archives Organization of Iran):
518/230                               553/230                          1044/230                                      1747/230
2865/230                        3174/230                        3191/230                                      8108/230
16548/230                      59703/230                      59821/230                                      10757/240
25366/240                      36002/240                      59706/240                                      61275/293
43134/310                      72725/310                      163/320                                      167/320
[In Persian]
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Newspaper
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History

  • Receive Date: 04 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 11 March 2025
  • Accept Date: 21 May 2025

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