War and Peace in Qajar Persia: Implications Past and ... - Oguzlar.az

176 Mansoureh Ettehadieh (Nezam-Mafie)33 per cent by 1850 and 25 per cent by 1914. The agricultural sector appearsto have remained stable at about 25 per cent of the population. 4In discussing the nature of crime it is necessary to keep in mind the physicalgeography of the country, the primitive state of communication, the fracturednature of society, semi-autonomous character of the tribal areas, theweak position of the central government both militarily and financially, andthe venality and corruption of government officials. In general, it could besaid that the economic conditions of the country were undergoing fundamentaltransformations during this period.ECONOMIC CONTEXT AND ITS RELATION TO CRIMEThere is very little consensus between scholars on the overall economic conditionof Iran in the nineteenth century beyond the general decline thesis. Anumber of scholars, such as Noshiravani, Gilbar, and Nashat, maintain thatthere was actually a rise in per capita income and conditions improved, whereasothers, for example, Issawi, Bharier, and Keddie, maintain that there wasrelative stagnation and very low development. John Foran, a recent contributorto the latter point of view, argues that though there was some development,it was dependent on external forces and had a negative repercussion on thestandard of living, the balance of payment, the state budget, employment incrafts, and so on. 5The deterioration in the state of Iran’s finances has been richly documented. 6The silver currency depreciated and inflation resulted. Iran, which had beenself-sufficient as far as food production was concerned, began to import wheat.The production of cash crops caused a constant threat of famine and foodshortage. The production of cotton for export benefited the landlords andmerchants rather than the peasantry. In these circumstances, with very littleemployment in the rural areas, the peasantry migrated to urban centers, joiningthe urban poor, or migrated abroad in search of work. In the urban sectorForan points out the decline of handicrafts due to foreign imports, whichoccasioned the decline of cities like Yazd and Kashan. 7According to Foran, the tribes, which were mainly pastoralists, had lesscontact with the outside world and were less affected by these changes. Anotherfactor in the decline of the urban centers was the depreciation in the valueof the currency, which caused inflation and depression and a decline in thestandard of living of the working class. The tribes were generally better-offand more secure than the peasantry, though this varied according to differentareas and parts of the country.Did these economic changes mentioned very briefly here, relate to the generalstate of insecurity in the country and how far did they affect the crimerate, especially banditry? Or did the recurring insecurity we meet with in oursources reflect a way of life based on the social structure of the country, ratherthan the economic changes occurring in the country at large?