Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 176 New Intellectuals

After the war, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs became the busiest department, as various countries wanted to conduct trade negotiations with Iran, and the Iranian government also needed to formulate foreign policy to protect its own interests.

"Our country's recent rise in status has not only affected the world, but has also changed the attitude of neighboring countries towards us. The Ottomans have already felt dissatisfied with the increase in our territory, and I'm afraid a war will break out again."

Pezeshkian looked at the report, which seemed like a prophecy, and asked with some doubt, "Sadig, are you sure the Ottomans will attack us in the future?"

"Yes, sir, I'm sure. The Ottomans have always considered themselves the legitimate rulers, so they cannot tolerate the rise of our country, as it would make them think that our country is vying with them for leadership."

Moreover, they were also jealous of our country's recovery of large swathes of territory. Coupled with other historical factors, the Ottomans were certain to launch an attack on our country.

Sadiq's writing of this was by no means mere speculation. There were already many voices within the Ottoman Empire dissatisfied with Iran. They were not only jealous, but also worried that their Shia Muslim population would be incited by Iran to overthrow the government.

"We've just defeated Russia together. If the two countries go to war again, wouldn't that give Russia an opening?"

"I'm afraid Iran is now their primary target, even more so than Russia."

The idea that heresy is more dangerous than paganism applies to any religion. The Shia and Sunni sects are inherently incompatible, and the Safavid dynasty and the Ottoman Empire are just concrete examples of this.

"From this perspective, our country is in a very dangerous situation. I will report this to the Shah."

Pezeshkian decided to let the Shah make the decision, and at the same time, he was impressed with this young man who had studied in Britain. He might even take over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the future, if he worked for a few more years.

After returning from his studies abroad, Sadig was assigned to work at the Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Later, due to a shortage of personnel in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was transferred to Tehran to serve as an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At this time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs underwent a more detailed division of power, establishing the Far East Department, India Department, Eurasia Department, Europe Department, Americas Department, and Africa Department. Sadiq worked in the Eurasia Department, and naturally had a greater interest in his neighbor, the Ottoman Empire.

The first cohort of students from Tehran University in Iran has graduated. After being exposed to various forms of knowledge, some were selected by the government to study in Europe, while others entered the government or applied their acquired knowledge in other fields.

Education and healthcare have become key areas of government focus. Iran has begun to advance primary and secondary education, aiming not only to universalize compulsory education but also to fundamentally improve healthcare. Undoubtedly, this will be a long process.

After get off work, Sadiq went to the Arak district of Tehran, which has been one of the fastest-growing areas in recent years. It has many commercial facilities and cafes and is also a gathering place for international students like him.

"Sadig, you're too late!"

"Excuse me, I have some things to attend to. Would you like a glass of grape juice?"

After a self-imposed drink, they began to talk about recent events, most importantly the victory in the war. This was a major victory unseen in decades, and as Iranians, they could proudly boast about their country to others.

"Let's drink to Shah!" "Cheers!"

They were grateful to the Shah and the Grand Vizier for sending them to study in Europe, and therefore they wanted to give back to the Shah and Iran by contributing the knowledge they had acquired.

"Iran still needs a major transformation. We have won the victory over Russia, but we still need comprehensive changes."

These words were spoken by Safidin, who works at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. "Now our country's various industries have been established, but the gap with Britain is still very large. We must raise tariffs to keep their goods out of the country."

They never expected that Britain, a country where free trade is prevalent, would allow him to support high tariffs.

Safidin actually found a book from the Napoleonic Wars period in the university library, which mentioned that Napoleon issued the Continental System to contain Britain. Initially, it did have a huge impact on Britain, but the system quickly collapsed.

It's quite simple. At that time, France hadn't yet completed its transition from an agricultural to an industrial nation. Its national income still primarily came from agriculture, and other European countries were even less industrialized. The Continental System led to the loss of agricultural markets for these countries and caused the decline of some raw material industries reliant on imports, such as the cotton textile industry, which went from rapid expansion to rapid decline. Furthermore, industrial development requires machinery and production technology, which only Britain possessed. The Continental System resulted in the stagnation of European industry, widespread economic decline, and a general sense of desolation. Napoleon's actions effectively severed trade. Without trade, there is no tax revenue. Feudal dynasties relied on exploiting peasants, who toiled in the fields for sustenance. Without trade, there was no tax revenue; without tax revenue, there was no source of income—essentially cutting off all avenues of wealth.

Moreover, since French industrial products were less competitive than British products in terms of both price and quality, and French products were not ideal substitutes for British products after the continental blockade, it was difficult for various countries to genuinely boycott British products, leading to rampant smuggling.

From this book, Safidin summarized several key points: First, in the early stages of industrial development, high tariffs must be used to protect the nascent industries. Second, it is essential to expand markets to ensure that the goods produced by factories have a market.

"Although the treaty with Russia has been abolished, there is still Britain. The treaty must be revised to restore tariff autonomy."

After listening to Safidin, they all gained a new understanding of economics. They originally thought that economics was simply about developing factories, but they didn't realize there were so many intricacies involved.

"We need to export more like Britain does, so that businesses can make money, and then they will expand production, improve machinery, and drive the emergence of more new products."

"Suleiman, you own a textile factory, don't you think so?"

Seeing that Safidin had mentioned himself, Suleiman offered his own perspective.

"Indeed, the quality of cloth produced in Britain is currently better than that produced in factories. Although some is sold domestically, most is sold to the Far East. The largest quantities are in Vietnam and Qing China, followed by Aceh."

I've also heard from several colleagues that French and Mexican merchants are buying rapidly. Most of their purchases are carpets and silks, and they rave about the exquisite patterns.

Suleiman's textile mill made a profit selling cotton yarn during the war, and although profits plummeted afterward, it still managed to stay profitable. In the Far East regions like Cambodia and Aceh, Iranian goods established a foothold thanks to preferential policies and continued to expand.

(End of this chapter)