Iran was not officially colonialized but its sovereignty was exploited by the British and the Russians since the 19th century and later United States joined them.
William Morgan Shuster in his book: The strangling of Persia has portrayed an eyewitness account of a weak developing nation that is falling prey to the ambitious imperial expansionism of Great Britain and Russia.
1808 Geographic Map
Persia in 1808 before losses to Russia in the north and to Great Britain in the East in 1857 through the Treaty of Paris..
Examples of 19th Century Imperialism
- Beginning in the 19th century, the Qajar dynasty found itself in a precarious situation due to an increasing foreign presence within Iran.
- The Reuter concession: In 1872, Nasir al-Din Shah negotiated a concession with Baron Julis de Reuter, a British citizen, granting him control over Persian roads, telegraphs, mills, factories, extraction of resources, and other public works in exchange for a stipulated sum for five years and 60% of all the net revenue for 20 years. It was met with not only domestic outrage in the form of local protests, but also opposition from the Russian government.[3] Under immense pressure, Nasir al-Din Shah consequently canceled the agreement despite his deteriorating financial situation.
- The Tobacco Régie: On 20 March 1890, Nasir al-Din Shah granted a concession to Major G. F. Talbot for a full monopoly over the production, sale, and export of tobacco for fifty years. A Tobacco Régie (monopoly) was subsequently established and all the producers and owners of tobacco in Persia were forced to sell their goods to agents of the Régie. In December 1891 a fatwa was issued by the most important religious authority in Iran, marja-I taqlid Mirza Hasan Shirzai, declaring the use of tobacco to be tantamount to war against the Hidden Imam, Muhammad al- Mahdi. By January 1892, when the shah saw that the British government “was waffling in its support for the Imperial Tobacco Company,” he canceled the concession. Per Historian Nikki Keddie this movement was significant because “Iranians saw for the first time that it was possible to win out against the Shah and foreign interests… there is a direct line from the coalition which participated in the tobacco movement… culminating in the Constitutional Revolution.
Territorial Loss in 19th Century
- Russia: The Treaty of Gulistan 1813 following the outcome of the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813), irrevocably ceding what is modern-day Dagestan, Georgia, and large parts of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (Fatʹh-Ali Shah Qajar)
- Russia: The Treaty of Turkmenchay 1828 was the outcome of the Russo-Persian War (1826-1828), which resulted in the loss of modern-day Armenia and the remainder of the Azerbaijan Republic. (Fatʹh-Ali Shah Qajar)
- British: The Paris Treaty in 1857, Herat (Afganistan) was part of Iran, when Iran and Britain signed (Naser al-Din Shah Qajar)
- British: GoldSmith Treaty in 1870 British Goldsmith restricted Balochistan’s border, a part of the present borders of Iran and Pakistan are from above borders. In 1872, According to Goldsmith’s view Sistan and was divided into two foreign and main sections. (Naser al-Din Shah Qajar)
- Russia: September 1881 The Treaty of Akhal was signed by Persia and Imperial Russia on. The treaty marked Persia’s official recognition of Khwarazam ‘s (Eshghabad was part of it) annexation by the Russian Empire. (Naser al-Din Shah Qajar).