'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎17r] (38/610)

but had refused to publish the Shah’s rescript promising a,
National Assembly, until menaced by popular resentment he
complied with their demands. After his arrival at Tehran be
wrote to the Assembly accepting the Constitution and signed
it with his father. His acquiescence however, was constrained
and not voluntary.
The year 1907 was not creditable either to ‘ Constitutional
ists ’ or ‘Reactionaries’. The former were in an extremely
difficult position ; the Assembly was sitting bat neither
Assembly nor Ministers had any experience of Constitutional
Government; the treasury was empty ; they were opposed to
any foreign loans and to the Belgian 1 administration of the
Customs, which were the most reliable source of revenue. The
Shah meanwhile, while repeatedly swearing allegiance to the
Constitution, was intriguing against it, and actually fostered
disturbances in order to bring it into discredit, in the
provinces local “Anjuman” or assemblies, which had been
formed to cooperate with or control the provincial Governors,
only succeeded in impairing their authority.
2 The Government lacked money and force and was thwarted
by the Shah’s intrigues throughout the country.
The revenue receipts dwindled, as people failed to realize
that the establishment of Constitutional Government did not
release them from their obligation of paying taxes. In Giian
a ovarian troubles broke out and landlords were unaole to obtain
their rents from the peasantry, and disorders occurred at all
the large provincial centres. This disruption of the provincia
administration, already enfeebled during the reign of Muzaffar-
ud-Din Shah, leading to diminution in the revenues and
disorders 3 and brigandage, has been one of the most marked and
enduring results- of the Persian revolution.
In November 1907 the Shah visited the Assembly and for
the fourth time swore loyalty to the Constitution, which he
was plotting to overthrow. In December he attempted a coup Stab
d’etat and arrested N sr-ul-Mulk, the Premier, and his Mims-
ters. The Shah was temporarily master of the situation, but
1 M. Naas was dismissed.
a It found itself entrapped in a vicious circle, being unable to assert its
authority without moneyf which it was too feeble to collect, a state of affaxrs
which has continued until 1920.
a See sketch of historv of Mazandaran in para. 5 below. Disorganiza
tion hL been most marked in Azarbaijan and also in Southern Persia, where the
tribes with anltural predilection for lawlessness, have got quite out of hand.