Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎153r] (308/1237)

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^£ f rt : nce & in r thf^nf r0n ^ n ° r Were taore °' ny other c “ £fs
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21^ ;/nilG there . ?re in ^GZ' ieh nnd in Western Azerbaijan generally
suen ci^ns ol inuividual poverty :nC squalor os are probably to be
Socn anywhere in^Irn, I believe th^t the condition of the labourinr
cl .ss penerolly is better than it is in Tabriz, where there is a f^ir
number otunenpl;;yed or only precariously employed persons. In
f u i e lin P or ‘' t 'p- n i‘ occupation is agriculture and most of the
om ller tenant larmors eke out a living by working also for the nine
active months^oi th . ye,r as f arm labourers. The cost of livinr is
3 ;: w ^ i n Hczaich than m Tabriz, as may be seen from the fc 11cwing
camper is ^n ox the prices of some of the staple commodities;
Bread, per kilos
heat, per batman:
Ghee, M '»
Butter, per kilos
I 1 'irewo:u, per khalv
Ch rcoal, per poods
Rezaieh,
5.
90.
335.
60.
3oo.
50.
not ".How
Rls,
Tabriz.
7. 50
160.
4J0. - 430.
150.
500.
So.
^ ^ r u" t ' three days uoes not allow me to say with any
cym.iv..once haw matters may acvelop in Western Azerbaijan, but I was
'f n v- en ? r 1 c nclusi.ns nut only fr.m my c:nversati,ns
pi th- r -" n ” '-ft c - f V n C1 1 ls ’ UU - 3 lG: ' i ? r " La ths talks 1 iv?a v;ith the Lazarist
W th aW’ ^-fcJcnvwlouGG ^ the axstnet anu its peoples is extensive,
. p c-ur-e xroia the inxcraati-:n ano opinions g.othereii by the Konshi,
ia •. o^rouui, wnc is a native af Rezaieh and has relations and numerous
cquamt ncoo tnere. It is clear, in the iirst place, from the
f 1 H • omployed, that th^ro ia a concerted drive
avy : miy^twu p -rts 01 _ iZero-ijan to obtain the greatest possible
'um^v.ro mp for xho Tucien Forty, and that v^nile this drive is meeting
with vorying.success in Eastern Azerbaijan, in Western Azerbaijan it
t S ' nC ^ Z ^ r i ng :c T cel 7 resist nee at all. All my informants
3°^^ + tn d v ? st rit y :f non-Kurdish villagers and townsmen
udung to the rarty, while the Assyrian ana Armenian communities .are
members to
m
n. The cxplonstitn generally given for this solidrity
V intiisiv. -^ticn, -nc there is in fact abunil-xnt evidence in Hezlien as
in xntnz th ,t tflv Fa^ty leaders arc bringing: mny different forms of
pressure to bear on vorks-s arc po snnts, ranging fram deprivation of
taployaent to simple threats of murder. Secondly, a definite e fort
ic. Ooinp- naue ta fona a united front with the Kurds, ano this too is
nestin;- with sane limited success. The evidences of direction, co
in this activity suggest that it is the
- Thf>. farir 1
ordination and purpose
egecutiun cf a definite plan of action and, measuring the professed
ims ol tne Party against what would ippoer possible of achievement in
present circumstances, the most prcb.'-bl. object of that plan seems to
be tne setting up 01 a more
social rganisoti:n mode 11 c(
kindrea Azerbaijan Soviet
with it.
or lc«.<5
no d
uu inaopenuent Azerbaijan with a
ubt on th t of the neighbouring
ublic, anu
perhaps politically linked
na
^ 1 ? - r ' s ^ I G :n sec, the Soviet authorities here would
coo template such a uevel jpment rat least with equanimity, but that is
i_r 1 ram saying that they are the only begetters of thi Tudeh Party’s
. 1 -ns. ihe ^ Irani n cificial’s attribution of the whole trouble to
a viet machinati. ns is too facile. 'When one takes into account, for
eiampfc, the temper, history^ and aspirations of the Kurds, it is not
rp : .naole to suppose that these ox them who are co-operating with
tiic Tuuen P. rty arc ucing so merely as blind obedient tools with no
/thought