Abstract:
The absence of merchants as an active and influential class in the movement of National Oil Industry had undeniable effects on the failure of this movement in 1953. The question of this study is to find out the reasons of the absence of merchants in the great oil national movement. The method of research used in this paper is data analysis and the evaluation of the documents in this regard. It seems that the merchants especially the Chamber of Commerce did not regard the national oil industry movement in line with their own benefits, and therefore supported Mohammad Reza Shah.
Machine summary:
"Union representatives, who were elected in December 1953, were comprised of prominent businessmen like Kharrazi Nikpour and influential people were already in the board room, Tehran, Abol Hassan Sadeghi, and Ali Vakili, who later served in the room of presidents, Haji Aboo Hossein, an Azerbaijan market big merchant; Haj Abdullah Moqadam owner of two Representatives and board of directors continued to obtain importing license for non-essential goods to the country using their relations with government officials,.
Merchants who represented as a special internal organization in the contemporary period, based on the components of such capital, the type and scope of activity and proximity to local or central government rule adopted different stances in important events such as the Constitutional and the National movement of Oil. Inconformity of material interests of these groups together with the nationalization of oil industry fueled their internal conflicts.
Lack of committed and knowledgeable leadership among merchants that prevented their immediate interests in the group associated with the court and the foreign powers deterred domestic absorption of capital in the economy and the trade failure of Iran had a large impact; least of them were alliances of the merchants and the effect of losing the historic opportunity to participate in the national movement of oil industry and using advantages of its full benefits.
Mossadegh’s government was attempting to mediate on behalf of people over this valuable resource and would have provided the opportunity gradually to the national and local business, but the court's sabotages, interferences of major powers and associated factors, each recognized their own national interests in Iran in contrast with the full benefit of this growth, and prevented this movement to the maximum extent possible."