A Comparison of The Content Of The Azerbaijan Press in The Reza Shah Period and The First Four Year Rule Od Mohammad Reza Shah (1925-1945)

The quality of the newspapers published in Azerbaijan during the reign of Reza Shah had changed radically change compared to previous periods. The pages of the publications of the period were devoted to praising Reza Shah and contained various internal news and advertisements about Iran and Azerbaijan. No criticisms were found regarding the current situation of the country or the senior officials of the Pahlavi administration. Newspapers had a short lifespan and didn’t feature political or social articles addressing issues such as human rights and freedoms. However, the newspapers published between 1941-1945 started to include criticisms of the complicated situations of Iran and Azerbaijan during the administration of Reza Shah and his son. In addition, the publication of Turkish articles in newspapers, as well as the increase in quality and quantity indicated that the newspapers had removed the police state atmosphere that had been dominating the community. The most important reason for the oppressive situation during the initial period of 1925-1940 had been the absolute nature of the political power, its overwhelming dominance, and the lack of freedom of expression. However, the prevailing environment of political freedom during the second period of 1941-1945 led to the strengthening of the activities of parties and structures with Soviet tendencies. As a result, newspaper publications were realized in integration with these aforementioned movements.