The Attlee government and the collapse of British power in Iran, 1945-1951
Despite the vast amount of literature concerned with the Attlee government's management of the British Empire, there are still a number of key knowledge gaps, not least concerning Anglo-Iranian relations during this period. Although generally perceived as an independent nation, this thesis argues that Iran should be considered part of the informal empire, thanks to the disproportionate influence wielded there by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. The company, a state owned, but privately managed organisation, was the leading source of taxes and foreign currency for the Iranian Exchequer and supplied not only jobs, but also roads, housing and even policing through its private security force. At the end of the Second World War it seemed to be in an insurmountable position: a totem of informal domination. Indeed, the vast Abadan oil refinery was Britain's largest single overseas asset. However, within just six years the oil company had been nationalised and Britain's informal hold in Iran destroyed. This thesis aims to outline why this happened and to argue that British power collapsed due to a noxious mixture of orientalism and mismanagement within both the government and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company itself. It
Taylor, J.
The Attlee government and the collapse of British power in Iran, 1945-1951. Despite the vast amount of literature concerned with the Attlee government's management of the British Empire, there are still a number of key knowledge gaps, not least concerning Anglo-Iranian relations during this period. Although generally perceived as an independent nation, this thesis argues that Iran should be considered part of the informal empire, thanks to the disproportionate influence wielded there by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. The company, a state owned, but privately managed organisation, was the leading source of taxes and foreign currency for the Iranian Exchequer and supplied not only jobs, but also roads, housing and even policing through its private security force. At the end of the Second World War it seemed to be in an insurmountable position: a totem of informal domination. Indeed, the vast Abadan oil refinery was Britain's largest single overseas asset. However, within just six years the oil company had been nationalised and Britain's informal hold in Iran destroyed. This thesis aims to outline why this happened and to argue that British power collapsed due to a noxious mixture of orientalism and mismanagement within both the government and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company itself. It
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