Iranian Revolutions

Chapter 18 of Gelvin’s book The Modern Middle East: A History discusses the resistance and revolutions that emerged in the Middle East during the contemporary era. He, also, discusses the impacts these revolutions have had in the Middle East. Gelvin focus is on the Iranian Revolution of 1978-1789, and the subsequent effects of the revolution on the Middle East. This paper will discuss the how the revolutions in the Middle East reshaped it. This paper will look mainly at the Iranian Revolution and the impact of it on government and Islamist groups emerging. To start with, Gelvin points out two reasons for the emergence of social or political movements in the Middle East after they gained independence. The reasons he lists are nativism and

The shah used Iran’s wealth to “engage in social engineering, consolidate his power, and expand the state’s intrusion into the lives of its citizenry.” The policies the shah was implementing alienated many of the citizens he ruled. This upset many in the country, and the result was the Iranian Revolution. The people than led a war against the state. In the end, the Revolution was successful and the government overthrown. This revolution had many impacts on the Middle East, specifically the emergence of a new government and Islamist

This new government was based off Avatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ideas. He proposed that Iran should establish a theocracy, which would be run by the ulama. Khomeini’s idea for government were outlined in the Iran Constitution, adopted by 1979. The fundamental idea of this government was that all laws in the Islamic republic much be based on the Islamic principle. The top of this government was the supreme ruler. This ruler had to be just and qualified to rule on matter that dealt with Islamic law. Under this new government, Khomeini was the first supreme ruler. This new government was one way in which the revolutions reshaped Iran during this time period. It reshaped Iran because it completely changed the power structure in the area and led to changes in the lives of Iranian citizens. Although this government was a way to purify the Iranian society, many believe that this model of government is borrowed from the West. Gelvin then argues that this meant that they did not Islamize the nation, instead they nationalized the religion. His argument is that the religion becomes a characteristic of the state, instead of the nation taking on Islamic characteristics. Another impact of revolutions on Middle Easter societies is the emergence of many Islamic groups. Although they gained more popularity during this time period, all of the groups were not new groups in the region. An example of this is