MORTEZA NOURAEI AND VANESSA MARTINThis, the second of our three articles on the role of the karguzar in the foreign relations of Iran, focuses on internal issues, and, in particular, the problems of security. Its main period of study is the years following the Constitutional Revolution during which Iran witnessed a gradual breakdown of social control resulting from severe government weakness. The Revolution, itself the product of financial fragility, led to the virtual bankruptcy of the country, despite the attempts of the Majlis at fiscal reform. 1 Thus by 1910 the government did not have the means to enforce law and order. Problems of personal security placed considerable pressure on people at all levels of Iranian society. This article is, however, concerned with the experiences of the non-elite and the implications for them of financial crisis and weak government. These circumstances were also to have repercussions for Iran's relations with foreigners.Robbery was a widespread security issue during the period in question. Since this is a very broad category, our study will limit itself to examining the robbery which took place outside towns, that is to say mainly on the roads. Although foreigners were subject to robbery in urban areas, it was on the roads that they fared worst, especially because of their participation in trade, as well as their relative wealth. The increasing role of foreign subjects in commercial fields naturally increased the traffic of goods outside of the cities. At the same time, the influence of the central government outside the cities was weakening, which meant that traders received less protection.The main sources for this article, as for the previous one, are the National Archives of Britain, the National Archives of Iran, and the Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran. In the latter, the karguzari documents have been particularly fruitful in yielding information on the subject. Also significant is the FO 248 consular series in the British National Archives. The concern of consulates for these subjects and their business was reflected in their correspondence, giving us a reasonable amount of source material. The consular and commercial reports contain useful information in the form of tables on the characteristics of robbery carried out on British subjects, including the cost, place and date of the occurrence. The final group of sources that provides significant information is that of local newsletters. These newsletters indicate the size of the problem the constitutional regime was facing with regard to crime, and also the nature and quantity of discussion 1 For further details see W. M. Floor, The Fiscal History of
