October Revolution and British Forces' Confrontation with Cossack Forcesin Northern Iran

With the outbreak of World War I, both Russia and Britain sought to expand their military power in Iran. The British established Southern Police Force, and the Russians upgraded the Cossack Brigade to the level of the division. Following the October Revolution and the Bolsheviks' rising to power in Russia, Russian forces left Iran, and the British sought to expand their influence into northern Iran and the Caucasus and to fill the vacuum created by the Russian withdrawal. It was while the Cossack division under the commanded of Vsevolod Starosselsky saw itself as protecting Russia's interests in northern Iran. The present study aimed to answer the question of what the British did to expand their influence in northern Iran and how did they deal with the Cossack division?The paper analyzes the issue using a descriptive-analytical method and concludes that the British attempted to take possession of all Iranian military forces, including the Cossack division, through the 1919 treaty, but due to Starosselsky's resistance against them as well as the expansion of the risk of Bolshevik advancement into Iran, they found it advisable to withdraw their troops from Iran, expel Russian officers from the Cossack division, and entrust its leadership to trusted Iranian commanders.