Hasan Arsanjani

Hassan Arsanǰānī (Persian حسن ارسنجانی; born August 1923 in Tehran, † June 1969 in Tehran ) was an Iranian lawyer, journalist and Agriculture Minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Ali Amini and Asadollah Alam. Arsanjani is considered the architect of the land reform, one of the key reform projects of the White Revolution of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Life

Hassan was born in August 1923 in Tehran. His mother Hajar came from a religious family and his father Mohammad Hossein was a clergyman and farmer from the town Arsanjān. His father died when Hossein was six years old. His mother fed her family with sewing and received some financial support from her father, who owned a small farm and a shop in a village near Tehran. In this way, Hassan learned early to know the miserable life of the rural population, about 90 % of the population of Iran accounted for at this time.

Hassan went into one of the on the orders of Reza Shah Pahlavi Pahlavi newly created primary schools, which replaced the religiously oriented schools of the clergy gradually. Hassan was a member of the Boy Scouts and learned French. At age 17, he translated Montesquieu's Persian Letters to persian.

After high school, he studied law at the University of Tehran. In addition to his studies, he worked as a journalist. At 22, he founded his own magazine with Daria. After completing his studies he opened an economically very successful law firm. In 1945 he founded his own party, the Freedom Party, which he, however, soon abandoned because of lack of political success again. Instead Arsanjani was a member of the Democratic Party, newly founded by Ahmad Qavam. Arsanjani ran for parliament and was also elected. But as he had never lived in his constituency Lahijan him his seat was stripped. Arsanjani took over the post of chief editor of the party organ of the Democratic Party Democrat e Īrān for two years, but later work as a lawyer in his firm.

Following the resignation of Mohammad Mossadegh as Prime Minister in mid July 1951 Arsanjani was appointed by Prime Minister Ahmad Qavam as Deputy Prime Minister. After only six days, was forced to resign due to ongoing protests Qavam. This means that the political career Arsanjanis was initially completed. At just 30 years old Arsanjani decided to return to the University and to graduate. 1955 Arsanjani befriended General Valiollah Gharani, the former head of military intelligence, who was planning a coup. With the coup Ali Amini should be made to the Prime Minister. The coup in 1958 failed and Arsanjani landed for a few weeks in jail. Three years later, Ali Amini was officially of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi appointed Prime Minister and Arsanjani was Minister of Agriculture. The Shah wanted to enforce the long pending land reform as part of the White Revolution, the dispossessed landowners for compensation and the land should be distributed to farmers. Arsanjani should take over the planning for this politically repeatedly failed reform projects and bring the relevant legislation into parliament. After approval by the Parliament Arsanjani should then also practically implement the land reform.

Landowners and the clergy, who possessed themselves or through religious endowments significant land and economically benefited from the feudal rent system would prevent this reform at all costs. In Parliament there were heated discussions, so that the Shah saw the solution in a referendum for its reform program at the end. On January 26, 1963 voted an overwhelming majority of the population of the reform program, which the political debates but did not stop. So it was on June 5, 1963 so far unprecedented riots which were led by a then largely unknown by the name of Ruhollah Khomeini Sheikh and should go down as the unrest of 15 Khordad in the Iranian history. Amini was indeed resigned from his position as Prime Minister, but the new Prime Minister Asadollah Alam was arrested Khomeini and wanted to put him on trial. Arsanjani remained in the Cabinet Alam Agriculture Minister and with the backing of the Shah's land reform could be carried out. Arsanjani had arrived at the height of his political career.

In the context of land reform were developed in collaboration with agricultural advisors from Israel founded cooperatives and cooperative. Arsanjani was in close contact with the Israeli representative in Iran and also traveled several times to Israel, to better understand the local agricultural methods. He left thousands of farmers in buses transport to meetings, in which he criticized the old feudal and so the farmers convinced of the land reform. In the end, it was the great popularity he had gained through his speeches at the farmers undoing. The Shah was Asanjani replace as Minister of Agriculture and promoted him as ambassador to Italy.

Arsanjani, who saw himself as a future prime minister, wanted to politically not be pushed to the sidelines and gave the international press in Rome several interviews in which he was critical of the new Prime Minister Hassan Ali Mansour. Mansour was Arsanjani replace as ambassador. His political career was the end. Hassan Arsanjani again worked as a freelance lawyer and should soon be one of the highest paid lawyers Tehran.

Hassan Arsanjani died suddenly in June 1969 after a sweeping celebration at his home of heart failure with forty-seven years. His death gave rise to wild speculation since his brother was found on a glass in the house Arsanjanis poison. Arsanjanis friend referred however to the ongoing heart problems, who had preceded the infarction. Hassan Arsanjani was with twenty years younger Maryam Daftari, a relative of former Prime Minister Ahmad Matin - Daftari married. The marriage went forth a son. Between the young wife of the deceased and the family, there were violent quarrels over the division of the not inconsiderable assets, all of which were decided by the courts in favor of his wife.