Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 213 Petition

As Iran's next target, Bukhara has effectively moved closer to Iran. Emir Bahadur has also become reliant on Iranian trade and economic support, and the threats from Kokand and Russia have forced him to bring in Iranian influence for counterbalance.

Even if he resists, it's useless; Iran's strength is beyond his reach. He must heed the lesson of Khiva's actions. If all else fails, he can always rely on the Russian Empire to confront Iran.

"Russia's war expenditures will certainly need to be subsidized by the wealth of Bukhara and Kokand, and we cannot let them succeed. If necessary, even a war is unavoidable."

"Shah, we are prepared to deploy 12000 troops to the Northeast and build railways and protective forests along the way to ensure the transport of supplies."

Our merchants have sent back news from Kokand and the Qing Dynasty that due to rampant banditry, large caravans have not traveled along the trade routes eastward for a long time.

With the rise of maritime trade and changes in natural conditions, overland trade routes gradually declined. The Silk Road, which began in the Han Dynasty, now accounts for only a small portion of global trade. Furthermore, constant warfare in the northwest region led to rampant banditry, putting caravans at risk of being robbed.

"Therefore, in order to protect the interests of many merchants and compatriots, Iran had no choice but to step in and eliminate bandits, and bring prosperity to this land so that they could all receive Allah's blessings."

As expected of the Shah who had been to Europe, they really couldn't have come up with such a reason.

"But Shah, even if Russia doesn't attack our country, it will probably force Qing to cede territory."

"Therefore, we cannot allow this to happen. It is better for these lands to be in the hands of the Qing Dynasty than in the hands of Russia. Even if it costs 1000 million, we must thwart Russia's conspiracy."

Nasser al-Din knew that Russia was about to seize land from the Far East, and he could do nothing to help with the Outer Manchuria, but he could still manage to keep the Northwest from Iran.

It must be acknowledged that Emperor Qianlong had foresight; the western territories of the Qing Dynasty were the best lands in Central Asia, not only abundant in water resources but also easily defensible. Unfortunately, he chickened out first in this game of cowardice, handing over 44 square kilometers of land to Russia with a single treaty—truly the greatest act of charity.

"Sometimes I really don't understand. Russia already has the most territory in the world, so why does it want more? Even if it just wants ports, aren't the Baltic and Black Sea ports enough?"

Naserdin was not Russian, so he naturally did not know Russia's intentions. If he were the Russian Tsar, he would probably have asked for even more.

With Central Asia policy concluded, the focus now shifts to domestic affairs. Nasser al-Din has a petition on hand, signed by 1074 people from Tehran, Tabriz, Bushehr, Isfahan, and other cities, requesting the drafting of a constitution, the establishment of a parliament, and the implementation of a constitutional monarchy modeled after Britain.

"Since the restoration of the nation, Russia and Britain have invaded in turn, ceding territory and paying indemnities, and the people have suffered greatly. Fortunately, the Shah succeeded to the throne, won the war against Russia, and the national crisis was resolved."

But given the state of the nation, only by emulating Britain can it regain its national prestige. The reason for Britain's strength lies in its Parliament. With Parliament in place, the power of the nation is entrusted to the entire population for collective decision-making. The cabinet, elected by Parliament, is responsible for national affairs, while the Shah enjoys a position of prestige, thus avoiding public criticism of his policies. For the sake of the nation and its people, we urge the Shah to convene Parliament as soon as possible to resolve these crucial issues.

After Nasserdin finished reading this, he looked at the signatures at the end. Although there had been petitions to convene parliament before, the number of signatories had never been this many.

Most of these people were newly educated intellectuals who had studied abroad, as well as wealthy merchants, enlightened landowners, and members of royalty. They believed that although the country was currently doing well, to continue to develop, it needed to learn from the most powerful British system, namely, parliamentary monarchy.

Britain's strength stems from its parliamentary monarchy, where Parliament holds legislative power and the Cabinet holds executive power. This separation of powers facilitates policy formulation and implementation, promoting economic prosperity. Furthermore, the political stability under a constitutional monarchy instills confidence in foreign investment, further driving British economic growth. Moreover, this political stability guarantees social stability, reduces the likelihood of social unrest, and promotes social harmony and development.

These benefits are evident from Britain's experience over the past few centuries. Look at France across the sea; after the overthrow of absolute monarchy, its political system has been constantly changing. Therefore, to prevent Iran from following France's path, a constitutional monarchy is the best option.

“I’ve also been to the British Parliament. They say it’s their proudest system, but to me it’s just a place for arguing. Besides, don’t we have expert meetings?”

Amir expressed the views of these people: "These people believe that the expert conference cannot represent the consciousness of the entire nation; it must be a parliament composed of members elected by the people."

"Oh my God, we've only had a few good years. The most important thing for the country right now is to build industry, not to argue in some parliament."

Nasser al-Din rejected the petition, arguing that a nation's strength cannot be achieved simply by introducing a political system. He pointed out that many South American countries have parliaments, and are they now prosperous and powerful? He questioned whether Spain and Portugal's establishment of parliaments had made them better.

“But Shah, establishing a parliament is now the most important issue. Not only parliament, but also matters concerning freedom of speech, religion, and people’s livelihood.”

This is no longer a simple petition; it's a demand to decentralize power from the Shah. And they're quite clever, starting with the Shah's initial proposal at the meeting to discuss this issue. If there's to be discussion, then a parliament is needed. While the expert conference has some representativeness, it's insufficient to represent the entire nation. What they want is a parliament composed of representatives through thorough elections.

"Teacher, you've heard about things from many places, haven't you? Parliaments, apart from those in Britain and the United States, have all been distorted in other places. France, with its system of liberty, equality, and fraternity, has changed its political system six times in 50 years; Mexico was hit by war; and Russia still doesn't have a parliament."

Moreover, even if a parliament were to be established, it wouldn't be now. There's a whole host of other things to do; if we only focus on the parliament and forget about everything else, we'll lose out big time.

At this point, the Shah had made his point very clear: parliament, yes, but not now. He thoroughly enjoyed wielding absolute power, and there was also a need to promote national development. Now, time was too tight; Iran had to concentrate its efforts on getting things done, and in doing so, social stability had to be maintained.

Iran has finally escaped its past predicament, but only ten years have passed, and it needs to focus its attention more intently.

(End of this chapter)