study on land reformations law in iran

Subject Areas : Epistemological and methodological researcher of historical research

Fayyaz  Zahed ¹ (استادیار گروه تاریخ واحد تهران مرکز)

Received: 2016-11-18 Accepted : 2016-11-18 Published : 2015-12-22

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Abstract :

Land reform policies are generally advocated as an effort to eradicatefood insecurity and rural poverty, often with utilitarian (i.e., "the greatestgood for the greatest number"), philosophical or religious arguments, aright to dignity, or a simple belief that justice requires a policy of "land tothe tiller". However, many of these arguments conflict with prevailingnotions of property rights in most societies and states. Implementationsof land reform generally raise questions about how the members of thesociety view the individual's rights and the role of government. Startingin the 1960s and continuing into the 1970s, the Iranian government, atthe shah's initiative, undertook a broad program designed to improveeconomic and social conditions. Land reform was a major priority. In aneffort to transform the feudal peasant-landlord agricultural system, thegovernment purchased estates and sold the land to the people; it alsodistributed large tracts of crown land. In the Jan., 1963, referendum, thevoters overwhelmingly approved the shah's extensive plan for furtherland redistribution, compulsory education, and a system of profit sharingin industry; the program was financed by the selling of governmentowned factories to private.investors. Within three years, 1.5 millionformer tenant farmers were plot owners. Land reform in Iran wasexecuted with a view of attaining stability in politics. In Iran the landreform policies were introduced, not to address the problems of theagricultural workers, at least in the initial stages. During the the year1963, the economy was in doldrums. The economic anomalies andconsequent political unrest had to be addressed to immediately. Landreform in Iran was successful to a great extent in bringing the economyback on the tracks. As per norms, under land reform, large stretches ofland were converted into smaller set ups. The land reform in Iran wasbacked by the United States of America. The failure of land reform infailed due to the fact that the interests of the local people were not takeninto consideration.