Tahqiqāt-e Tārikh-e Ejtemā’i (Social History Studies)

Land-Acquisition Policies and Social Reactions: A Case Study of the Directorate of Private Estates — West during Reza Shah’s Reign (1304–1320)

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Motaleb Motalebi

Assistant Professor of History, Documentation Research Institute, National Documentation and Library Organization of Iran, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.30465/shc.2026.53710.2671
Abstract
Immediately after his accession, Reza Shah established an organization to administer and develop his real estate holdings, titled the Directorate of Private Estates. Prior to his reign, Reza Khan (Sardar Sepah) possessed scattered properties in various regions of the country. After his accession to the throne, the coastal areas of the north and the Kermanshah region received special attention, and organizational units were created for these two regions under the names Directorate of Private Estates — West and Directorate of Private Estates — North. The primary purpose of these organizations was further acquisition and the consolidation of dispersed lands and properties. Tenant farmers, proprietors, and small landowners living within the territories targeted by the Directorate of Estates were compelled, sooner or later, to transfer their lands to the Directorate in exchange for cash or for parcels of land in other locations. Naturally, the transfer of lands to Reza Shah did not meet with the agreement and consent of all tenants and owners, and this became particularly evident after Reza Shah’s forced abdication in September 1941 (Shahrivar 1320), when a flood of complaints and petitions against the Directorate of Private Estates emerged. In this study — aware of the lawsuits and complaints filed after Shahrivar 1320 — only the reactions of tenant farmers and owners to

Keywords

landowners'
Reza Shah'
reactions'
exclusive properties'
'
Kermanshah'
Subjects
Bibliography

Derakhshani, A. A. (n.d.). Memoirs of Colonel Ali Akbar Derakhshani[In Persian]
Karami, Shayan., & Rahmanian, D. (2019). "Private Ownership in Kermanshah (First Pahlavi Era)," Journal of Local History of Iran, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Serial No. 15), pp. 91–104. doi: 10.30473/lhst.2020.33181.1903. [In Persian]
Motalebi, M. (2024). "An Investigation into the Structure and Function of the West Private Estates Department (1925–1941)," Documentary Research of the Islamic Revolution, Vol. 6, No. 12, pp. 272–322. doi: 10.22034/irs.2025.511849.1270. [In Persian]
Motalebi, M., & Gholami, S. (2025). "The Social and Developmental Consequences of the Expansion of Reza Shah’s Private Estates in Kermanshah," Historical Researches, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Serial No. 66), pp. 61–78. doi: 10.22108/jhr.2025.145537.2797. [In Persian]
Gholami, S., & Motalebi, M. (2025). "The Economic Consequences of the Expansion of Reza Shah’s Private Estates in Kermanshah (1925–1941)," History of Islam and Iran, pp. 35–65. doi: 10.22051/hii.2025.51389.3041. [In Persian]

Archival Sources

National Library & Archives of Iran (SAKMA)

SAKMA, File No.: 1044/230
SAKMA, File No.: 167/320
SAKMA, File No.: 29247/310
SAKMA, File No.: 3174/230
SAKMA, File No.: 59706/240
SAKMA, File No.: 59708/230
SAKMA, File No.: 8072/230
SAKMA, File No.: 8108/230
SAKMA, File No.: 59703/230
SAKMA, File No.: 20528/230
SAKMA, File No.: 2104/230
SAKMA, File No.: 59821/230
SAKMA, File No.: 16548/230
SAKMA, File No.: 1747/230
SAKMA, File No.: 163/320
 
 
 
Tahqiqāt-e Tārikh-e Ejtemā’i (Social History Studies)
Volume 15, Issue 2 - Serial Number 30
Autumn and Winter 2025-2026
March 2026
Pages 267-289

  • Receive Date 08 December 2025
  • Revise Date 26 April 2026
  • Accept Date 11 May 2026

Home

Guide for Authors

Reviewers

Contact Us