Evening star., 1925-11-05
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

menian population were committed by
the invading Turks.
Finally, in 1916. the Shah appointed
a pro-ally cabinet and, with British
leadership, a Persian army drove out
the invaders from South Persia In
Northern Persia the Russian forces
had maintained fairly good control
until Russia collapsed, after which
British troops from India protected
the whole kingdom. with such aid as
| native Cossacks could give.
At the Versailles peace conference
Persia demanded independence and
complete autonomy, free from British
dominance. This was not granted.
In 1920 bolsheviks invaded Northern
Persia and occupied Resht, which
place was recaptured by Persian Cos
sacks the following year, and a treaty
was made between Soviet Russia and
Persia.
In the meantime, Persian finances
had gone back to the confusion which
| had occasioned the appeal for Mr..
Shuster. and in 1921 another appeal
came for American aid. Dr. A c.
State was then loaned to that dis
| tracted country; he is still in charge.
Under his administration the finances
have been regulated and administered
with shining success
X *
In the meantime the political weak
ling upon the throne was forced,
against his own fears, to appoint q
strong man-Reza Khan-prime min
lister and actual ruler. So fearful
was the Shah of the trend of events
manifested by the prestige of his
prime minister that he felt discretion
to be the better part of royal valor,
and he fled to Europe-not merely
for its social gayeties. but for the
safety of his own life.
All reports that Reza Khan and
the Medjliss were begging the Shah
to return to his royal responsibilities
| were propaganda. The Nationalists.
| headed by Reza Khan, have been
plotting since January, 1924, to de-
| pose the Shah and set up a republic.
or to let the Shah's minor brother
become his successor, with Reza Khan
as regent. The movement toward a
| republic was defeated by the Medjliss
| in 1924, but at last the Shah has been
| officially deposed by a vote OF 80 out
| of IS members of the Medjliss. and
ReZa Khan has been named tempo
| rary governor" He is in dictatorial
command until further action which
| is expected to make him Shah and
| founder of new dynasty.
| y X
| Reza Khan IS a Persian MussoIfni-
| a strong character and leader. Shah
| Ahmad might well have dreaded to
defy him by refusing to make him
prime minister. He was born in 1876
Of peasant parentage-a Turkish
| mother and Persian father. When
] he became old enough he Joined the
Cossack Brigade as private. This
was an organized bodyguard of the
| Shah. He gradually rose from the
ranks, by valor and ability, and when.
in 1917, Russia fell out of control
| and the British took command, Reza
was a colonel Of the Cossacks.
With 500 Cossacks he captured
| Teheran, the capital of PERSIA city
as large as Washington. He deposed
the regent and set up Seyid Zia-ed
Din as dictator Of Persia. with him.
self as minister of war. Within a
year he quarreled with Seyid and
overthrow him, restoring authority to
the Shah, with himself as prime min
| lister. He made a treaty with Great
Britain, by which Persia would have
gotten a loan in consideration. of
! British protectorate: but the Medjliss
refused to ratify it. ReZa Is now
| strong enough to defy both the Shah
and the Medjliss, and 1t is predicted
| that he will practically ignore or
| defy both, and rule with an abso-
| lutism not known for a generation.
| The former Persian Minister to the
United States, Hussien Khan Alai
we'll liked in Washington society and
| diplomatic circles, has returned to
| Persia and become a member of Par
liament-the Medjliss-and the iega-
ton here Is under a charge d'aftaires.
lCopyright. 1925. hy Paul v. cslnas.l