Foreign Inferences in and Their Social Consequences in Isfahan during World War I

In Iran, the presence of forces supported by handful foreign countries had begun before World War I. With the onset of the war, this presence intensified and led to Iran’s occupation. Meanwhile, Isfahan, being located in the geographical center of the country and therefore regarded as the country’s economic and trade cross section had became the battleground of the three world powers of the time; Russia, Britain and Germany. In the same period, the city saw the Russian military occupation as well. These foreign forces alongside with their domestic hirelings had a damaging effect on the contemporary Iranian society and its citizens. The main research question of the present article is: What were the social consequences of foreign interferences in Isfahan and its society during World War I? The findings of the article show that the interferences of the foreign forces in Isfahan mainly exacerbated the city’s earlier social problems and led the citizens’ lives towards chaos, insecurity and famine. Through utilization of a descriptive-analytical methodology, the article reviews key historical documents, memoirs, travelogues and newspapers so that the significances of the foreign interferences in the city and their social consequences city can be investigated during World War I.