Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Vali Dinparast ¹
• Nader Razzaqi ²

¹ Assistant Professor in Department of History, University of Tabriz

² MA in Islamic History of Iran, Tabriz University

Abstract

The urban poor in Tabriz including daily-paid laborers, street vendors, porters, the unemployed, beggars and slum residents rose up in support for the Constitutional Revolution. Although they did not have enough information about the Constitutional Revolution, people encouraged the leaders and joined the queue of Constitutionalists hoping to get free from the unfair behaviors and access the welfare in life. A group of fighters was formed and the poor joined them. Some of them participated in the war and also some helped the Constitutionalists in building the forts, breaking the walls and guarding. Despite living in difficult situation, they never left the Constitutionalists alone. In this paper, we try to assess how the poor people of Tabriz joined the constitutionalists and supported them and what was their role in the revolution. We also attempt to answer this hypothesis according to which when the poor people are led by the elite in the society, a strong force can be formed that is able to resist to any military power. The poor people of  Tabriz too endured the poverty and the difficult situations and resist to Muhammad Ali Shah forces

Keywords

• The poor
• Tabriz
• Constitution
• Constitutionalists
• opponents of the Constitution