Persia become a full fledged Allied Power WW1

Commissar

Banned
The Qajars decide to jump Persia into the Allied Camp in the hopes of:

One, regain their prestige after the humiliating debacles in the 1800s.

Two, get most of Iraq and parts of Turkey and maybe more.

Three, get the power base they need to throw off British and Russian Influence.

Initially there is little real effect as the Qajar's forces and authority are a damn joke, but with Russian and British help, they begin to make a difference in mid 1916 as the British help the Qajars establish the Infrastructure with American loans to levy a strong enough conscript force to assist in the 1916 campaigns in Iraq.

Looking over the Information I have, the Qajars could raise with help an army of 1,367,978 Infantry and 300,000 Cavalry. More realistically, a force of 600,000 Infantry and 75,000 Cavalry or 400,000 mounted infantry is pushing the logistics and economic situation to the limits.

If adequately trained these forces would have a big impact.

Postwar considerations are also interesting. Would Britain allow Persia to control parts of Iraq in a joint operation similar to Anglo-Egyptian Sudan?

Would Persia pursue the opportunity in post revolution Russia to seize Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia and parts of Dagestan, and Chechnya, plus parts of the so-called Stans.

While its doubtful they could hold all that against the Soviet counter-strikes, they may be able to at great cost maintain Azerbaijan and Armenia in their fold and may keep Turkmenistan depending on how much Lennin was willing to retake those area as opposed to driving Japan out first from Siberia.
 
I find it unlikely that the Persians would join the Entente during ww1. They wanted to get rid of British and Russian influence, not walk further along that path. Also, the Gendarmerie, which was the only real regular European-trained force in the country (except the Russian-officered Cossack Brigade), was trained and led by very pro-German Swedish officers. An entire regiment crossed over to Iraq and joined the Ottomans.

It is far more likely that the Persians would join the Central Powers to rid themselves of British and Russian influence, IMHO.
 

Commissar

Banned
I find it unlikely that the Persians would join the Entente during ww1. They wanted to get rid of British and Russian influence, not walk further along that path. Also, the Gendarmerie, which was the only real regular European-trained force in the country (except the Russian-officered Cossack Brigade), was trained and led by very pro-German Swedish officers. An entire regiment crossed over to Iraq and joined the Ottomans.

It is far more likely that the Persians would join the Central Powers to rid themselves of British and Russian influence, IMHO.

See objective 3 again. The ideal is to be such good allies that they get what they need in order to throw off the British and establish centralize control which is the reason why the Qajars flopped in the first place.

Persia help in conquering Iraq goes along those lines. And in the Russian Civil War there is plenty of opportunities to take former Persian Territories in the Caucasus and the Stans.
 
How would Persia afford such a huge force? Wasn't half the problem with persia at the time that the central government couldn't afford to do much along the lines of what a modern state needs to do, and thus was in hock to Britain/Russia along with the others?
 

Commissar

Banned
How would Persia afford such a huge force? Wasn't half the problem with persia at the time that the central government couldn't afford to do much along the lines of what a modern state needs to do, and thus was in hock to Britain/Russia along with the others?

British and Russian Funds plus promises of Loot.
 
Under Your POD -- I see Persia as a even unluckier Italy, where all the promised Gains evaporate in the post war Divisions.
 

Commissar

Banned
Under Your POD -- I see Persia as a even unluckier Italy, where all the promised Gains evaporate in the post war Divisions.
Possible but the Chaos in Russia will enable them to use their trained Army to take the Southern Caucasus and parts of the Stans and they will have British support in the Caucasus.

Also with a full fledged Persia Ally, the British may share southern Iraq with Persia in a Joint Operation.
 
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