1983/01/01 by Mikhail Volodarsky · 2 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Economic Sanctions and International Relations #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East #Islamic Studies and History
paper · doi:10.1080/00263208308700534
openalex publication_date 1983/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/03
Persia's relations with the two rival great powers Britain and Russia were influenced in the period we are investigating by two major international events. The first was the Crimean War, in which the Tsar and the Shah failed to involve Persia. The second was the Anglo-Persian War of 1856-1857, which broke out as a result of the Shah's attempt to unite by every means the purely Afghan province of Herat with his own holdings. Russia's ruling circles felt a certain temptation to take advantage of the Anglo-Persian armed conflict in which Britain was deeply involved in order to exact revenge for the great loss that Russia had suffered in the Crimean War. However, for understandable reasons, Petersburg had to reject such thoughts and adopt a position of non-interference according to the Russo-Persian treaty of 29 September 1854. The new Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince A. M. Gorchakov, decisively rejected the Shah's request for assistance' although he had quite mixed feelings about the request. It was precisely then that he, whose previous career had been connected only with Europe, came to a clear understanding of the inevitability of a political and economic struggle with Britain in the depths of Asia.2 He was particularly impressed by a report that was causing quite a stir in those days in military and diplomatic circles in Petersburg. It was written in January 1856 by Staff Major General Blaramburg, a commander in Persia during the Crimean War with a special mission. It said in part: