Abstract
This article focuses on the movements of one of the influential families of the second Pahlavi period, the Rashidis, and discusses their characteristics from a socio-cultural perspective, as it seeks to answer the question of what were the components of the Rashidis' socio-cultural personality? Through a library research method based on collecting data from historical sources and documents, and an analytical research method within the framework of sociological theory with an emphasis on the characteristics of the comprador bourgeoisie, we analyze the nature of the Rashidis from a socio-cultural perspective. The findings indicate that one of the personality characteristics of the Rashidis, as part of the Iranian dependent capitalists, was an extreme tendency towards the West, especially England, in the field of culture and civilization, as they were even influenced by Western models in their behavior and lifestyle. In addition, their greed and lust for pleasure were also considered characteristics that could be seen in such characteristics as luxurious facilities and entertainment. Also, their self-interest and inattention to public interests should be mentioned, to the extent that, in appropriate cases, they even sacrificed national interests for personal interests. The last prominent characteristic was their lack of self-control, which was observed not only in the intellectual and behavioral levels of the Rashidians, but also inferred from their close interaction with marginalized groups, criminal groups, and thugs.
Keywords: Contemporary Iran, Pahlavi period, circles close to power, Rashidians, socio-cultural characteristics.
Introduction
In contemporary Iran, there were many influential and famous families in various political, economic and cultural fields that had great effects, both positive and negative, on the society and the governance of the country. If we leave aside the politically influential families with local and regional roots such as Qaraguzlu, Alam and Bayat, we can mention the Jahanbani, Zahedi and Atabai families, who showed great movements in the political and military fields, the Farmanfarmayan, Namazi and Bushehri, who simultaneously played a colorful role in the political and economic fields, as examples, as well as the Foroughi, Nafisi and Khalatbari, who in addition to the political field, had prominent scientific and cultural movements, and the Khosrowshahi, Khayami and Lajavardi families, who focused mainly on the economy and achieved significant success in this path. One of these influential families in contemporary Iran was the Rashidians. Although, unlike the families mentioned in the previous lines, they are less well known due to the type and method of their activities, which were mainly non-public and in the shadows, they were considered among the ruling and upper classes of Iranian society at that time due to their enormous economic wealth and close relationship with the government of the time during the period in question. The scope of their activities in the economy and politics of Iran, as a type of Iranian oligarch, was significant.
Habibollah Rashidian showed some activity during the first decades of the 20th century, coinciding with the rise of the first Pahlavi, and then spent more than a decade in prison until the end of Reza Shah's reign, until at the beginning of the 1940s, he resumed his efforts in Iranian politics in line with British policy, along with his children, Seifollah, Qodratollah, and Asadollah, while also greatly expanding his economic business with the support of this country. A decade later, in the early 1950s, when Habibollah was in his old age, his children continued to be active and serious in the political arena and played an influential role in the fall of Mohammad Mosaddeq's government. During the decade after the coup and until the mid-1940s, they continued to be present behind the scenes of politics, using various mechanisms to accumulate economic capital and acquire financial wealth until the end of the Pahlavi regime. In the following article, the authors of these lines seek to explain the socio-cultural characteristics of the aforementioned family, one of the most influential and powerful families in Iran in the 20th century, by analyzing the mentality and especially the actions of its members. In this way, they will understand the characteristics of some of the upper classes and the ruling class of Iran over the last hundred years, who mainly had friendly relations and close interaction with the governments of the time. With these characteristics, the present article can be considered innovative and original. Accordingly, the article seeks to answer the following question:
On the basis of what components can the cultural and social personality of the Rashidian family be explained?
Materials & Methods
In order to answer this question, on the one hand, we examined the Rashidian family from the perspective of cultural characteristics, using a library method of data collection, i.e., examining first-class historical documents and sources that provide valuable data to the authors in this field. On the other hand, we examined the Rashidian family from the perspective of cultural characteristics, within the framework of a sociological theory based on social stratification centered on the comprador bourgeoisie.
this research that has been written based on library research and information collection, mainly from memoirs and documents, and sometimes from some reliable and scientific research sources.
The comprador bourgeoisie and their actions can be explained from different angles, and given that in this study we are focusing on socio-cultural characteristics, we will refer to the characteristics of the comprador bourgeoisie from this perspective.The most prominent cultural characteristic of the comprador bourgeoisie in any society is their strong tendency and attachment to foreign culture. Disregard for national identity and lack of desire to fight for cultural independence are characteristics of the comprador bourgeoisie.The second characteristic of the comprador bourgeoisie in this area is personalism and self-interest, as the members of this stratum, as the upper layers of the bourgeoisie and the dependent capitalists, are very self-centered and self-interested, and they organize their actions around personal interests. In this regard, national interests have become worthless for them compared to personal interests, which also gives their decisions and behavior an irresponsible tone from a social point of view.The third characteristic is related to the greed and hedonism of this stratum. A large part of the bourgeois comprador class, thanks to the defective economic structure of their country and the lack of social arrangements for the redistribution of wealth, experiences upward class mobility through rent-seeking and brokerage.The fourth cultural-intellectual characteristic of a significant number of people belonging to the comprador bourgeoisie is a lack of dignity in thought and ignorance in action, which can also be called lampoonism. Apart from the fact that the comprador bourgeoisie attracts its supporters from among the profit-seeking individuals present in the lower and marginal classes of society.
Discussion & Result
the cultural and social characteristics of the Rashidians can be analyzed based on four components, all of which were centered around and related to the comprador bourgeoisie, and of course, some of them overlapped with each other to some extent. The first characteristic was Westernization and attachment to England. Those who, as comprador bourgeoisie or dependent capitalists, saw their existential nature and economic interests in a positive and direct relationship with England, were naturally inclined to this foreign country as a model and reference in the social and cultural spheres, to the extent that not only were they themselves influenced by the West in their lifestyle, habits, and attitudes, but they also appeared to be adept at the penetration and expansion of Western culture in Iran. The second characteristic of the Rashidians was their self-interest, which was also related to their class nature as bourgeois comprador, because these people, due to their commercial and mercantile view of various issues, gave complete priority to personal interests. As historical documents and evidence indicate, in order to achieve their profit-seeking goals, they were not only indifferent to collective and public interests, but also, when they saw their own interests at risk, were even willing to sacrifice national interests. nouveau can be considered the third characteristic of the aforementioned family, whose prominent manifestation was also in self-indulgence, ostentatiousness, and of course, the display of consumption. The Rashidians, who were suddenly and in a very short period of time thrown from the middle class to the upper and wealthy class of society by an accident, as a result of this very rapid economic transformation, as newly arrived individuals, sought to adopt a lifestyle of ostentatiousness and luxurious entertainment with the aim of showing off and gaining a position among the ruling and upper classes of the country. The fourth social and cultural characteristic of the Rashidians should be sought in their lumpen-like thoughts and actions. Considering the low social origin of this family, and considering that even after class mobility, their intellectual-cultural capital not only did not grow in a balanced and equal way with economic capital, but they also suffered from intellectual immaturity, it was not far from being expected that the Rashidians would have a vulgar attitude and behavior, and some, like Asadollah, would even openly portray themselves as lumpen and arrogant. Apart from the scoundrel-like behavior and speech, the close interaction and connection with the urban mob, especially the gangsters and gangsters from the south of the city, was a clear sign of the scoundrel-like nature of the Rashidians.
Conclusion
The first characteristic was Westernization and attachment to England. The second characteristic of the Rashidians was their self-interest, which was also related to their class nature as bourgeois comprador. nouveau can be considered the third characteristic of the aforementioned family, whose prominent manifestation was also in self-indulgence, ostentatiousness, and of course, the display of consumption. The fourth social and cultural characteristic of the Rashidians should be sought in their lumpen-like thoughts and actions.