Russian Migrants and Their Settlements in Iran in the Early 20th Century: A New Stage of Colonization

This paper analyzes the history of Russian settlements in the northern provinces of Iran in the early 20th century. These settlements developed in what was defined as the Russian sphere of influence by the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 and, unlike in the Caucasus of Central Asia, preceded a military conquest. Russian colonization in Iran started as a spontaneous peasant migration in 1907 and by 1912-1914 turned into a state – encouraged and state – assisted colonial enterprise marked by a close cooperation between the Ministries of Agriculture, Foreign Affairs and the Military. During the First World War, the Russian colonial administration sought to take advantage of the situation and accelerate the colonization of the occupied lands. The process was stalled by the February revolution of 1917. The Bolshevik coup in October 1917 abruptly ended the short-lived Russian colonial venue.The article discussed the emergence and location of Russian villages, the numbers and social background of the settlers, their motives for emigrating, and their methods of land acquisition in Iran. It analyzes settlers’ relations with the local Iranian authorities and peasants and their impact on local affairs. The article also poses questions for further research of Russian colonization of Iran. It draws upon a variety of Iranian and Russian sources and relies heavily on archival materials. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first scholarly work to address Russian colonization of northern Iran.