Azerbaijani Peasant's Complaints to the 21st Majlis of Iran (1963- 1967)

Upon the establishment of the first Majlis of Iran, petition-writing became common practice in the country. Even, a special commission called the “Commission of Petitions” was set up to handle the complaints and present the demands of the nation.A study of the said petitions enriches our understanding of the social history of modern Iran. However, no era-based statistics on the petitions submitted to the Majlis have so far been prepared.The present research addresses these questions: What complaints did peasants of Azerbaijan province of Iran submit to the 21st Majlis? What were the grounds of the complaints? What processes did they go through? How did the Majlis handle their complaints?Since an important law such as land reforms was passed by the 21st Majlis of Iran, a majority of petitions revolve about this issue. Azerbaijan was also the first province to undergo the reforms. A study of the petitions reveals that the land-owners of the northwestern province not only opposed the reforms but also colluded with the officials to thwart them.