Resistance against foreigners or surrender to them Comparative analysis of reasons of public resistance against foreigners in Qajar era and surrender to Allies in August 1941

Iran was occupied by the Allies in the World War II in August 1941. At this time no social force resistant against foreign forces showed up. This is while Iranian social forces had shown serious resistances against the foreigners in the Qajar era or in the years following World War Ι. This article using Mill’s comparative-historical method tries to focus on this problem, and specially tries to study public social forces of resistance against foreigners in the Qajar era. These social forces include Clergymen, “Luti”s, guilds and leaders of tribes. Then the situation of these social forces will be traced in Reza-Shah era. This paper claims that the reason Iranians surrendered to Allies invasion’s forces, and social force even did not try to resist against them, was that they were weakened and suppressed during 16 years of domination of Reza-Shah in Iran.