British consuls and 'local' imperialism in Iran, 1889-1921

This dissertation investigates the development and impact of British imperialism in Iran during a period of international rivalry, revolution, world war, and nationalism. Scholars of British involvement in the Middle East have generally restricted their narratives to the highest diplomatic levels and failed to account for the way imperialism functioned "on the ground." Spurred by a Russian threat to India and the increasing decentralization of the Iranian state, Britain established an extensive consular network in the south, manned by British-Indian officers, who, it is argued in this dissertation, were crucial to securing British political and economic interests in the region by cultivating relationships with local officials, tribal chiefs, landowners, and religious leaders. British consuls eventually came to occupy the arbitral position in Iranian political society hitherto reserved to the Shah and his officials, adjudicating between competing local interests and also between local notables and the central government, while at the same time, laying the foundations for a "Third British Empire" in the Middle East. This dissertation helps to explain the peculiar way in which Iran was incorporated into the world economy as well as the failure and collapse of the Qajar state during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution and the First World War. It also helps to explain why political and economic centralization became a basic objective of Iranian nationalism.