Analysis of the Political and Social Consequences for Iran of the 1979 Revolution When Ayatollah Khomeini ousted Mohammed Reza Shah and ended the Pahlavi dynasty in the revolution of 1979 many political and social consequences took place. These consequences were due to vital decisions made by him but also due to repercussions of the revolution itself. With Iran being dominated predominantly by monarchies for the past several decades with the most recent being the Pahlavi dynasty the public had been through an era of radical yet superficial ‘modernisation’ and ‘westernisation’. Khomeini entered his rule with an extremist Islamic rule that was non-existent under the previous Shahs and this was bound to bring about consequences within the country. The revolution, one of the more prominent in Iranian history bought changes to all aspects of Iranian life and created a theocracy that has survived in the Middle East to this present day. Old Iranian politicians would have described it as a disturbance of the ‘movazaneh’ or equilibrium of the country and a disturbance that had many consequences The Ayatollah threw overthrew Mohammed Reza Shah who was disliked by the public. He was disliked because, as hard as he tried he could not tear himself away from the glamorous life and the constant build up of military personnel which according to ‘The Times Magazine’ grew from 200 000 in 1963 to 410 000 in 1977 just two years from the end of his reign. The strong dislike for the Shah and his shallow reforms led to a popular movement for the Ayatollah Khomeini to enter the scene. Khomeini had his own very strong ideas about what was to occur p... ... middle of paper ... ...on them by saying the Islamic council had the ‘ability to call upon the Revolutionary Guards to break up rallies and to secure the arrest and detention of opposition figures.’ This shows that there was little freedom of speech against the government and the Revolution had not allowed new freedom to the people. The 1979 revolution brought not only a radical religious leader and theocratic style of government but it also brought with it good and bad consequences that Khomeini would have to deal with, as all the previous leaders had to do. The political and social consequences are numerous but other consequences like economic areas were brought about, this included how to deal with the oil revenues and other issues such as how to supply fresh water to rural areas and what to do with the previously owned ‘sovereign land’
With his charismatic nature that allowed him to connect with all the groups of the opposition, Khomeini led the revolution and overthrew the Shah. For the religious and traditional masses of Iranians, he represented authentic Shi’a Iranian culture. For the idealistic students who were the leaders of the revolution, he represented unconventional defiance against the Shah’s regime. Khomeini understood the pain and alienation of all of his followers, who felt separated from their own Islamic culture as a result of the Shah’s westernization, and his charisma allowed him to unify the opposition against the Shah. With mass demonstrations all throughout Iran that immobilized the country, the Shah had no choice but to abdicate his position as monarch
Thomas Schelling, in his book Arms and Influence, describes the way the threat of war can be used in negotiation, to coerce another country to abide by the demands of another. In this case, the United States and the European Union, among others, have been trying to negotiate, even coerce, Iran into giving up its nuclear arms program. For the most part, Iran has not been willing to negotiate much. In fact, Iran is often described as being defiant against the world. Will this defiance cause a war to be started with Iran? The chances are good that a war could take place, but the chances are just as good that political leaders will find another way to deal with Iran’s relations with the world, especially after the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Iranian Revolution of 1979 was a religious uprising that involved the collapse of the longstanding Monarchy in Iran. In this essay, I will compare and contrast the background and ideology of the Iranian Revolution with the Russian Revolution of 1917. I will then outline the major differences and similarities between the two.
In the documentary, Blue Gold: World Water Wars, it follows several people and countries world-wide in their fight for fresh water. The film exposes giant corporations as they bully poorer developing countries to privatize their own supply of fresh water. As a result of the privatization, corporations make a hefty profit while the developing countries remain poor. Blue Gold: World Water Wars also highlights the fact that Wall Street investors are going after the desalination process and mass water export schemes. This documentary also shows how people in more developed nations are treating the water with much disregard, and not taking care of our finite supply. We are polluting, damming, and simply wasting our restricted supply of fresh water at an alarming speed. The movie also recognizes that our quick overdevelopment of housing and agriculture puts a large strain on our water supply and it results in desertification throughout the entire earth. The film shows how people in more industrialized nations typically take water for granted, while others in less industrialized nations have to fight for every drop.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the seemingly unstoppable rise of colonial power called for the modernization of Middle Eastern countries, particularly in Iran and Egypt. In their respective pursuits of building a modern nation-state, Reza Shah of Iran and Ataturk of Egypt, similarly implemented policies of political centralization, economic development, and secularization. Ultimately, modernization proved more viable in Turkey than in Reza Shah’s Iran due to the precedents characteristic of the Ottoman Empire inherited by Ataturk. Specifically, the endurance of successful westernization policies in Turkey, contrasted by their disintegration in Iran, can be equated to the different preexisting economic, social, and political conditions
The Islamic revolution in Iran came from discontent for westernization and secularization in Iran. It was the Iranian supporters of Khomeini rebelling against shah and his westernized approach and dictatorship of the country. The Iranian felt as if Iran’s leader the Shahan shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Aryamehr was too westernized and was contaminating Iran with modernization and also creating a separation of democracy and religion. Also, powerful and entrenched groups in Iran did not like how shah imposed his westernize reforms (Goldschmidt, 2013). They were also dissatisfied with the allowance of United States interference or influence to curb the groups they viewed as blocking Iran’s modernization. This included landlords, ulama and bazaar
The human race needs three things to survive; air to breathe, food to eat, and water to drink. A large majority of the public thinks these resources are infinite and plentiful. What they fail to realize is that they are not infinite, air can become polluted, food can carry pesticides, and water can transmit diseases very easily. In order to keep these necessities safe, many companies are taking the initiative by trying to cut down on pollution and stop using harmful pesticides. Water, however is not getting enough attention, especially in urban areas. Framework exists for these urban areas to be able to have successful water management, but some countries cannot afford these ideas or simply do not want
Iran had suffered and prospered through many different rises of power in the 20th century; these changes caused anger in the Iranian people. The time leading up to the revolution was characterized a fight for power between the Western influences and the Islamic people. In 1979 the people of the Iran led by Ruhollah Khomeini considered to be an enemy of the state. He was born in about 1900 in the town of Khomein. He was raised in the tradition of Shiite Islam; because of the death of his father he became more spiritual and faithful. On March 31, 1961, Ayatollah Boroujerdi died and Khomeini was in a position to take up the mantle left by the late religious leader. After publishing his writings on Islamic science and doctrines, many Shi'ite Iranians began to see Khomeini as Marja-e Taqlid (Biography channel website ). He wanted to start the first “government of God” (Berlatsky 26). He was thought to be a threat to the Shah decided that they had enough of his attempts to overthrow the government; he had been exiled for 14 years. With him as the leader of the Islamic uprising people flocked to his side to support. The placement of he Shah by America in the 1960’s was their final straw. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 has been described as one of the most notable events of the twentieth century; it began a period of time in which the Islamic culture was fighting against the modernization in many nations where Islam was the main religion. There is a huge difference between an unsuccessful revolution in which the beginners of the revolution are diminished and their demands not met. But when it is look at, the Iranian Revolution is seen as successful revolution in which all the needs of fight...
The Iranian revolution of 1979 has been one of the most significant developments in the Middle East and the entire Muslim world since the early years of the 20th century. The revolution brought a big transformation in Iran’s sociocultural society by overthrowing a centuries old monarchical system and establishing an Islamic republic based on the rule of a Shi’a Jurisconsult. The Iranian revolution has a lot of impact on several Islamic countries. There are many revolutions took place in history and the Iranian revolution was one of them. The Iranian revolution turned Iranian society upside down and became one of the defining moments of the 20th Century.
In February of 1979, Muhammad Reza Shah was in exile and Ayatollah Khomeini arrived as the triumphant leader of a revolution. Throughout the remainder of the year, the execution of former prime ministers, SAVAK agents, and high- ranking military officers took place. Muhammad Reza Shah’s regime was no longer in power and the Iranian Revolution was in full effect, but what caused this rapid shift of power? In the years leading up to the revolution, the Shah implemented the White Revolution in attempts to modernize Iran. The White Revolution was an attempt to turn Iran into an economic power, however; it went against many of the core beliefs of Islam. The White revolution of the 1960’s and 1970’s caused the Iranian revolution because it marginalized
Before the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the country was on course to becoming a westernized secular country. The Shah of Iran was more interested in developing the country along western model than anything else. People were left on their own to make decisions regarding moral issues. Religion was a private affair and people were free to practice their religion, as they wanted. People enjoyed personal freedoms comparable to those enjoyed in the west. They only thing they lacked was political freedom as all the power rested with the Shah. The elite controlled political power and anyone who wanted to join politics needed the sponsorship of the elites. The elites also controlled the economy largely because Shah appointed members of the legislature to companies and state industrial complexes. Accumulating wealth and maintaining it depended on retaining connections with the political class. The middle class and the poor were disadvantaged by the system because opportunities for education, pursuing wealth, government jobs, and politics were the reserve of the elite (Keddie 20). For these reasons, people supported the ouster of the Shah. The Ayatollah had even promised people many free things once he assumed leadership. Once he assumed leadership, he never made good his promises and things even got worse as people lost most of the freedoms they enjoyed under Shah (Axworthy 56). When Sartrapi arrived in Austria, she was thrilled to see well-stocked stores and said, “It had been four years since I’d seen such a well stocked library” (Sartrapi, p. 12). From the story of Marjane Sartrapi, the changes brought by the Islamic revolution made life difficult especially for young people. Power and influence shifted from the elites to religiou...
The Iranian Revolution lasted from 1978-1979 and was a revolution that ended in the Iranian citizens overthrowing the monarchy on April 1, 1979. Iran was ruled by the Shah, who gained power because of a coup backed by the United States. The Iranian Revolution led to a conflict between Iran and the United States. This resulted in the Hostage Crisis that lasted from 1979 to 1981. This led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic. The King of Iran, Mohammad Pahlavi, also known as the “Shah”, was the reason the Iranian citizens went through a dramatic revolution to do away with him. The revolution was beneficial to the citizens of Iran, but the hostage crisis was devastating to the United States.
The discovery of oil reserves in the Persian Gulf marked the beginning of the evolution of Iran to a modern industrial nation. (Document A) As the demand for crude oil skyrocketed, the wealth generated by Iran soared. The distribution of this wealth became a matter of contention. Additionally, with the transformation of Iran to an industrial nation, the introduction of western culture posed a problem for the strict Islamic community. The Iranian Revolution was a result of the economic, political, cultural and religious conflict that occurred within its borders.
A revolution is a mass movement that intends to violently transform the old government into a new political system. The Iranian Revolution, which began in 1979 after years of climax, was an uprising against the Shah’s autocratic rule resulting in much religious and political change. Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi made efforts to remove Islamic values and create a secular rule and “westernize” Iran through his White Revolution. In addition, his tight dictatorial rule and attempts at military expansion felt threatening to the people, who desired a fairer governmental rule immensely influenced by Islam. Afterwards, governmental affairs became extremely influenced by Islamic traditions and law which created changes religiously and politically for years to come. Although the Iranian Revolution was both a political and religious movement in that it resulted in major shifts in government structure from an autocracy to a republic and that Islamic beliefs were fought to be preserved, it was more a religious movement in that the primary goal of the people was to preserve traditional ideology and in that the government became a theocracy intertwined with religious laws and desires of the people.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly known as Iran or Persia, was crowded with a young generation looking for full freedom against the Shah. Persia, once as a powerful country with vast oil resources, soon became a vulnerable nation, ready to accept a new leader to guide them. The people were ready for change, but were the changes they got the changes they were looking for. The people wanted freedom against the shah, (For generations Iran was ruled by Kings) who allowed some freedoms, but it was somewhat limited. The people wanted freedom of speech, so that the press could freely publish their own opinions. They wanted to get rid of a law that made all eighteen-year-old males attend two years of military service unless they are accepted to a university, which would allow them attend the army later as a service worker. The shah was anti-religious, which was not ideal for many of the civilians in Iran. Savak (Secret organization of Iran) was accused of many anti – human rights actions, such as killing students who protested and immediately jailing press members for inappropriate conduct. A major problem was that the shah was a “puppet” of the United States many say, because the Shah would constantly confer with the U.S. of all of his decisions as ruler. The after affects of the revolution resulted in similar conditions, however. Human rights are horrible, the government limits all freedoms, the economy has suffered greatly, average salaries are hard to live with, most of the educated people in Iran fled to foreign countries, the quality of public schools is horrible, and the government still controls all television broadcasts and keeps a watchful eye on the newspapers. From bad to worse is what many people feel has become of Iran, but the people are ready for a real change.