Historical Recapitulation
Early resistance to foreign powers
The constitutionalists movement
The Qajar state
Revolution and war
Institutional dilemma
By 1920, Iran was a classic “failed state” to use modern terminology
Reza Shah
There is room in Iran for only one shah & I will be that Shah – Reza Shah
Oct, 1925: exile of Ahmad Shah
Pressurize Majlis to depose Ahmad Shah
Reforms striving for an Iran “ free of clerical influence, nomadic uprisings & ethnic differences”
To diminish foreign affairs from Iran
Securing Iran’s interior from any foreign and domestic threat
Reza Shah
Born in Tehran
1878-1944
1925-1944: regime
Abbas Ali Khan (father)
As a Prime Minister: 1923-1925
Army man
“Virtual military dictator” British
Reza Shah
Promised to back out Britain
Signed agreements with Russia
Coronation ceremony opened by prayer of Imam-e-Jummah and closed with a flowery oration
Named his son as heir apparent
Left the country with an extensive state structure
The Iron Fist of Reza Shah
Discipline and state power
Motto: Khoda (Allah), Shah and Mehan(nation)
Political dissent was tantamount to subversion and treason
Every part of kingdom was brought out under central Govt
Expansion by
revenues
Oil royalties
Higher custom duties
New taxes on
consumer goods
Extractions from tax
deliquents
Conscription Law, 1925
All abled bodies male
Over 21 age
Serve two full years active
Another four years in reserve
Armed forces continued to grow
Designed first from peasantry then urban population
M Reza Shah
Raised his son as foremost military officer
Military monarchy
Prince rarely appeared in public out of military uniform
Activities outside military were limited
Reza Shah’s reforms
New ministries introduced
Hand of central govt could reach the provinces
Control over political system
Transformation of Majles into pliant rubber from aristocratic power
Electrical plants
Telephone links
40 cinemas had opened
Urbanly appearance has drastically changes
Westernization in Iran
Change dress code
Western style trousers and coats
Bann on veil
No mourning in Ashura
Place chairs in Mosque
No feast of Zahra
Uniform education system
Incidents outburst
Removal of Chadar
Bann on names such as hajji, mashadi, karbalai
Failed in public health
Raise marriage age
Mashed masjid incident 1935, 100 loss lives and 200 injured
Slogan arose: Shah is a new Yezid
Results
Youngsters called him as oriental despot
Anglo-soviet invasion in 1941
Destroyed Reza Shah
Forced to abdicate in 1941
Moved to South Africa
died in Egypt in 1944
Allies Want from Reza Shah
To take head strong
members of his family
Arrested as a Nazi 5th column
some 200 Iranian officers
Direct control over transport
routes
Last Wishes and agreements
Shah accepted allies wishes
New motto: no monarch no military
He offered British but they politely refused offer of troops
Muhammad Reza Shah ascended the throne
Early Steps
Handed over his father’s estates to Govtwhich became bone of contention
Took well publicized pilgrimages
Money to be spent on Hospitals, medical laboratories, public libraries, water system, shelter for poor, nationwide campaign against malaria and eye diseases
Relinquished the religious endowments
No longer wage campaign against Veil
State Expansion (1953-73)
Continued where his father had been forced to leave off
Full speed drive: military, Bureaucracy and court patronage
Builded massive state structure
Military arms purchases got much up
Increased no of fully fledged ministries from 12 to 20
Social Transformations
Peace after 1963
Marry to Farah Deba
Coronation held in 1967
Lectures given: Iran would become 5th super power of world
White Revolution
Land reform was its centre piece Feudal ayan (notables) Ashraf (aristocracy) Omdeh malek (large landlords) Land reforms transferred the country side Literacy corps Health programs Women gained the right to vote Family protection laws Veil wasn’t banned Population got increased
Social Tensions
Quadrupled the combined size of two classes; intelligentsia & urban working class
Preferred “trickle down theory” of economics i.e. development
White revolution and the subsequent oil boom produced widespread resentments
Political Tensions
Social tensions intensified political radicalism among:
Intelligentsia
Modern middle class
Ulema
Traditional middle class
Ali Shariati
Middle class
Social scientist
French educated
Supported Mossadiq
Abu Zarr of Iran
Died in 1977
True ideologue of the Iranian revolution
House hold name after famous books
Rohullah Khomeni
Pronouncements were directed predominantly to the ulema
Lived in Najaf after 1963
Developed own interpretation of Shia Islam
Denounced Shah
Stressed on Velayat-e-Faqeh: hakoumat-e-Islamia (The Jurist’s guardianship: the Islamic Government)
One state Party
Shah did a sudden about-face in March 1975 dissolving the Mardom and Iran-e-NovinParty
Establishment of Resurgence party
Announced Iran as one state party
Party based on the dialectics and principles of white revolution
Intensified the state
Results
Bazaar revolt
Declared war on bazaar in 1975
10,000 inspectorate teams flooded market
Bazars turned to their traditional allies ulema for help
Shah denounced clergy
Imposed new imperial calendar
Iran jumped overnight from the Muslim year 1355 to the imperial year 2535
Few regimes have been fool hardy enough to scrap their religious calendar
He was secular for his religious people
Resurgence party Results
Weakened the regime
Cut the monarchy further off
Mass mobilization brought mass manipulation and in turn brought mass dissatisfaction
The shah would have been better off following Sir Robert Walpole’s famous motto: “Let sleeping dogs lie”
Islamic Revolution, 1979
Erupted like a volcano
In age of republicanism he flaunted monarchism, shahism & pahlavism
Khomeni returned from exile
3 million people greeted him
More than 2781 demonstrators die during revolution
1977: stream of middle class out
1978: newspaper editorial against Khomeni
Feb 1978: violent clashes in many cities
Late march 1978: considerable property damage
Aug 19: Cinema went up in flames; demands: Burn Shah
Sep 8, 1978: Black Friday, crowd got shot cause of refusal of disband, pahlavis got end
Events of Revolution
The Islamic Constitution 1979
Corporatinginscription God is Great
Khomeni get constitutional powers unimagined by Shah
Consolidation (1980-89)
26 ministries
Islamic republic survived
Iran Iraq war initiated by Saddam Hussain
Remained until 8 years
Thermidor (1989-2005)
Transfer of power took place smoothly
Supreme leader could be seminary-trained cleric
Khomeni and Rafsanjani initiated a thermidor
Imam Ali had been a successful plantation owner
US-Iran Relations
Considered unelected leaders of Iran
Denouncing Iran as totalitarian nightmare
Considered it as threat to world in terrorism
Conclusion
21st century as a major regional power
70 million people
Plays a key role in petroleum
Second largest proven reservoirs of gas and oil
Iran can’t be dismissed as a failed state
Country can’t be called as third world country
“We view the past, and achieve our understanding of the past, only through the eyes of present”E.H.Carr