Atkin Muriel. Russia and Iran, 1780-1828

University of Minnesota, 1980. — 233 p.Russian expansion has been a subject of deep concern to European and Asian states ever since Peter the Great established his country as a major power. This process of expansion transformed the map of two continents and sparked a host of sometimes violent rivalries from Peter the Great's first war with the Ottoman Empire (1695-1700) to the American "containment" policy of the mid-twentieth century. One of the areas in which Russian penetration has been particularly significant is Iran. For nearly two centuries, relations between these two countries have been characterized by mistrust, recrimination, and, occasionally, armed conflict. To Russian expansionists, this confrontation represented the honorable pursuit of national interests with regard to defense, commerce, and the advance of civilization in the face of opposition by a backward state oblivious to the common good. It also marked the opening of a new stage in the development of the Russian Empire. To the traditional pattern of annexation of contiguous territories was added the conquest of a remote, relatively populous, settled area analogous to western Europe's overseas colonies in Latin America and India. To many Iranians, the growth of Russian power at Iranian expense was gravely unsettling. They felt the humiliation of defeat in war and the loss of valued territory. This in turn compounded the country's serious economic problems which made its government vulnerable to pressure from Russia and Britain.