A Research On Persian Cossack Brigade (1879-1921)

Iran's transition from traditional society to modern nation-state in the period of Qajar Dynasty(1796-1925)constituted a large part of modernization in the 20~thh century Iran.On the basis of a few tribal and nomadic forces from the Qashqai,the Turkman,the Luri and so on,political power was mainly concentrated in the hands of the tribal chiefs or local governors,and the weapons were backward and the military discipline was in disarray.Despite this,it has played a key role in maintaining the rule of the Qajar Dynasty.However,with the invasion of north Iran by the Western forces,namely Russia,in the early nineteenth Century,the tragic fiasco of Iranian troops in the two wars against Russia(1813-1827)woke up all the lightened officials and intellectuals to realize the self-preservation by learning and copying the advanced rival counterpart to be stronger and more powerful,hence,a series of modernized reforms including the military modernization in the late Qajar Dynasty.The subject-matter of this article is just one of the above-said efforts by the Qajar Iran.This article is divided into four parts together with a conclusion.The first part introduces the social situation of Qajar Dynasty before the establishment of the Cossack brigade,nominally the origins.The second one investigates the establishment and early development of the Cossack brigade in Iran,nominally the metamorphosis.The third one discussed the involvements of Cossack Brigade in the political affairs,notably the Constitutional Movement in the late Qajar and early Pahlavi.The fourth one further discusses how the Cossack Brigade posed a wide and deep influence on the Iranian political life and the increasing infiltration by both Britain and Russia.The conclusion will elaborate on the assessment of the significance and role of the Cossack Brigade in the Iranian modern history.