Abstract
The modernization process during Reza Shah's era yield to fundamental changes in the political, economic, social, and cultural systems of society. The expansion of communication routes and the construction of the trans-Iranian railway were some of the issues that drew Reza Shah’s attention during the modernization process.The construction of the northern railway was accompanied by numerous challenges and difficulties that engaged the workforce and the residents of the areas through which the railway passed. Through documentary and library studies and using a descriptive-analytical method, this study seeks to reflect the workers’ concerns and complaints and the consequent suffering, as well as the problems inhabitants encountered in their dealing with foreign companies involved in the construction of the railway, as one of the modernization processes during the Reza Shah era in the cities of Mazandaran.The findings indicate that healthcare, compensation payment methods, the employment of European rather than Iranian labors, financial disputes with Kampsax company, and the loss of farmlands and rice field were some of the most significant concerns and worries of the workforce and local population along the northern railway. Further investigations reveal that these issues, although present, were not as severe as stated in some documents. In response to numerous issues which caused workers’ and the public’s dissatisfaction, the government and the company introduced some measures; however, in many cases, workers had complaints that were followed up by the Ministry of Roads, Parliament, and the Ministries of Justice and Finance. 
Keywords: Renovation, Railway, Complaint, Workers, North, Reza Shah.
Introduction
Having an organized transportation system, and especially the construction of railways, has been a long-cherished aspiration of the Iranian government and people. The accomplishment of this important undertaking, which began during the Qajar era, was accompanied by difficulties; however, with the rise of the Pahlavi government, the issue of roads development, including the railway construction, was seriously considered. The construction of the Iranian National Railway began in 1926 and was completed in 1939. Although the railway construction project was completed, it brought about significant changes in the lives of not only the public adjacent to the railway, but also the workers involved in the project. Thus, what has been covered in this study is a look at the process of building the trans-Iranian railway, especially the northern railway line, to shed light on the problems, concerns, and complaints of workers and local residents in the northern regions, based on Mazandaran documents, representing the workers’ and local people’s complaints and petitions during the 6th to 12th sessions of the National Assembly.
Materials & Methods
The researcher gathered research data employing a historical approach and relying on the analysis of documents and library resources. Subsequently, the collected data was analyzed using a descriptive-analytical approach. As a final step, the data was subjected to a thorough explanation and interpretation.
Discussion and Results
During the Pahlavi era, the bill for the construction of the north-south railway was approved by parliament in February 1926. Then, to carry out this task, foreign engineers came to Iran and railroad construction operations were initiated. Teams equipped with technical tools were deployed to the northern and southern regions to carry out mapping and preliminary studies for determining the optimal railway route. The announcement regarding the construction of the Iranian was gradually spread in foreign countries, stimulating interest from foreign companies and investors keen to participate in the railway construction. Most of these companies and investors sent representatives to Tehran. First, the government entrusted the railway construction project to a syndicate of German and American companies, which completed a portion of the line. However, when the first contract was terminated, the Kampsax company assumed the responsibility for completing the line. In the northern section, the railway mapping studies, which began in 1928 by a syndicate of German and American companies, encountered many obstacles and challenges. The project was finally completed by the Kampsax Company and launched in June 1937. The launch of the railway construction process in the north was accompanied by numerous outcomes; not only it led to changes in the region’s ecosystem but also it gave rise great concerns, anxieties, and suffering among the local residents and involved workers.The arose problems in the modernization process of Mazandaran and its direct outcomes, especially those related to the construction of the railway, concerned the health and medical care, damages, efforts to pay compensation, financial disputes with the Kampsax company regarding wage payments, as well as the superiority of European workforce over Iranian one.
The investigation of the documents reveals that the complaints of some residents and workers were referred to the Speaker of Parliament. This indicates either a lack of response to those complaints or some dissatisfactions with the verdict issued in the lower courts and the referral of those complaints to a higher court. The examination of these complaints yields significant insights about the damages inflicted upon the people during the modernization process.
Conclusion
The construction of Iranian railway, connecting the north of the country to its south, entailed numerous consequences and damages for both the locals, where the line passed, and the workers, who were employed in the project. One of the most significant consequences of the construction of the railway in Mazandaran was the inadequacy of health and medical facilities to treat the workforce and manage the deaths of injured workers in the early years of the railway construction. These problems were, then, addressed by the government and the Compax company. Other issues faced by the workforce on the railway were the non-payment of compensations and some financial disputes between workers and, the supervisors and the Compax company. Moreover, the replacement of Iranian labor with European labor by the companies was another significant issue, given the greater expertise of European labor compared to that of Iranian labor in railway technical matters.A further consequence was the destruction of forests justified by fulfilling the need for timbers to build tunnels for a coal mine that supplied the necessary fuel for the railroad’s construction, beside the loss of rice fields and farmlands that people needed for their subsistence. Considering the concerns and the harms experienced by workers and residents in the northern region, it seems that although these issues existed, they were not as severe as stated in some documents.As mentioned earlier, regarding many of the consequences that yield workers’ and the public’s dissatisfaction, including health care and compensation, the government and the company introduced some measures. For the remaining damages, the issues and concerns of the workers were followed up by the Ministry of Roads, the Parliament, and the Ministry of Justice and Finance.