Moderate Socialists Party

Political party in Iran

Politics of Iran
Political parties
Elections

Moderate Socialists (Persian: اجتماعیون اعتدالیون, romanized: Ejtemāʿīyūn-e eʿtedālīyūn) or simply Moderates Party (Persian: فرقه اعتدالیون), was a political party in Qajari Persia and one of the two major parties of the constitutional period alongside its parliamentary rival Social Democratic Party–Democrat Party.^[2] It was Iran's first right-wing political party.^[5]

Members

The party membership consisted largely of landowners, constitutionalist ulema^[2] and bazaaris. It espoused the traditional middle-class and landed aristocracy.^[1] Notable members and supporters were:^[2]^[1]

Sayyed Mohammad Tabatabai
Sayyed Abdullah Behbahani
Ali-Mohammad Dawlatabadi
Mohammad Vali Khan Tonekaboni
Abdol-Hossein Farmanfarma
Abolqasem Naser al-Molk
Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda
Mohammad Mossadegh

Views

The party claimed to uphold the principles of Islam, proposing military, judicial, and economic reforms, as well as strengthening the constitutional monarchy, convening the Senate, protecting family values, private property, limitation of the work week and wages in accordance with work performed, and prohibition of child labor. It also expressed support for freedom of association and freedom of the press.^[2]^[1]

Parliament election results

Election	Seats				Quota^[6]
Election	Count^[6]	±	%	±	Quota^[6]
1906	35 / 156	—	22.43	—	Majority party as Moderates
1909	74 / 126	39	58.73	36.3	Majority in coalition Including 38 in coalition
1914	29 / 115	45	25.21	33.52	Minority

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton University Press. pp. 105–106, 120. ISBN 0-691-10134-5.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h 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.
^ Katouzian, Homa (2006). State and Society in Iran: The Eclipse of the Qajars and the Emergence of the Pahlavis. Library of modern Middle East studies. Vol. 28. I.B.Tauris. p. 57. ISBN 1845112725.
^ Cronin, Stephanie (2013). Reformers and Revolutionaries in Modern Iran: New Perspectives on the Iranian Left. Routledge/BIPS Persian Studies Series. Routledge. p. 71. ISBN 978-1134328901.
^ Matin-Asgari, Afshin [in Persian] (2018). Both Eastern and Western: An Intellectual History Of Iranian Modernity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-108-42853-8.
^ ^a ^b آشنایی با تاریخ مجالس قانونگذاری در ایران دوره اول تا دوره شانزدهم [History of Legislatures in Iran (1285–1328)] (in Persian). Majlis Research Center. 2005 [1384]. pp. 19–20, 46–47, 68.