Society for the Progress of Iran

Progressives
Progressives
Founded	1909
Headquarters	Southern Persia
Newspaper	Jonub
Ideology	Progressivism; Liberalism; Iranian nationalism; Constitutionalism; Anti-imperialism
Religion	Islam
	Politics of Iran; Political parties; Elections;

Society of the Supporters for Progress,^[5] Society for the Progress of Iran^[2] or Society of the Seekers of Advancement of Iran^[6] (Persian: جمعیت ترقی‌خواهان ایران, romanized: Jamʿīyat-e Taraqqiḵāhān-e Irān) or simply the Progressives,^[7] also known as the Liberals (Persian: آزادی‌خواهان, romanized: Āzādīḵᵛāhān)^[1] was a political party in constitutional period Persia and was active during the 2nd term of the Majlis, 1909–1911.^[6]

Progressives championed the development of the southern provinces of Persia and consisted of MPs representing the southerners.^[7] They promoted the building of hospitals,^[6] women's education and regarded Persian as "the official and scholarly" language of Iran.^[2]

Its organ Jonub (transl. The South) was printed in Tehran and usually criticized the Bakhtiari,^[7] and held the view that the Iranian government did not understand the importance of the Persian Gulf region. The newspaper defended democracy and civil rights and explained that the "level of progress of any nation is symbolized in its degree of freedom of expression and press" and that the elections are the only means to exercise popular sovereignty and protect territorial integrity as well as national interests.^[3]

The party was small and insignificant in numbers, but held the balance of power in the 2nd Majlis,^[1] allying with the Moderate Socialists Party and Union and Progress Party against the Democrat Party.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Ettehadieh, Mansoureh (October 28, 2011) [December 15, 1992]. "CONSTITUTIONAL REVOLUTION v. Political parties of the constitutional period". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. Fasc. 2. Vol. VI. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 199–202. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Nikki R Keddie; Rudolph P Matthee (2002). Iran and the Surrounding World: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics. University of Washington Press. pp. 168–169. ISBN 978-0-295-98206-9.
^ ^a ^b Shahibzadeh, Yadullah (2015). The Iranian Political Language: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present. Springer. ISBN 978-1137536839.
^ ^a ^b Mohammad Hassannia (Autumn 2011). "Jonub newspaper". Baharestan Press (in Persian). 1 (1): 265–294.
^ ^a ^b Haddad Adel, Gholamali; Elmi, Mohammad Jafar; Taromi-Rad, Hassan (31 August 2012). "Moderate Socialist Party". Political Parties: Selected Entries from Encyclopaedia of the World of Islam. EWI Press. pp. 189–192. ISBN 9781908433022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kashani-Sabet, Firoozeh (2011). Conceiving Citizens: Women and the Politics of Motherhood in Iran. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 30.^{[ISBN missing]}
^ ^a ^b ^c Browne, Edward Granville (1983). "Janub". The Press and Poetry of Modern Persia: Partly Based on the Manuscript Work of Mírzá Muḥammad ʻAlí Khán "Tarbiyat" of Tabríz. Kalimat Press. p. 71. ISBN 9780933770393.