Iranian foreign policy since the iranian islamic revolution. Mar 06, 2018 what caused the iranian revolution in 1979. In some of its basic characteristics, the revolution did not conform to the usual norms of western revolutions, because the state did not represent just an ordinary dictatorship but an absolute and arbitrary system that lacked political legitimacy and a social base virtually across the whole of the society. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here. Background to the revolution shah reza pahlevi, returning to iran after a weeklong exile due to the failled mohamed mossadegh coup detat. A highly readable book by a knowledgeable american journalist about the ussupported coup in iran and its impact on the iranian revolution of 1978 1979 and for american foreign policy in iran and the greater middle east. Forty years ago, ayatollah ruhollah khomeini spearheaded a revolution that deposed a monarchy in iran. Iran s 1979 revolution is one of the most important events of the late twentieth. Women and the islamic revolution international journal. The iranian revolution 1977 1979 download pdf version by stephen zunes april 2009. The iranian revolution of 1979, together with revolutions in nicaragua and grenada, were the last revolutionary upsurge in the waves of post world war ii anticolonial, antiimperialist and democratic revolutions. Islamic revolution simple english wikipedia, the free. Celebrating its 35th anniversary, irans islamic revolution shocked the world and redrew the map of global alliances. Pdf this paper intends to explore the role and key contributions that ayatollah.
What do iranians think about the 1979 islamic revolution. He was appointed to the council of the islamic revolution in 1979, and between 1979 and 1981 he was a member of the majlis, serving as deputy minister of defense, commander of the revolutionary guard, and representative on the supreme council of defense. On february 9th, 1979, million of iranians came on to the streets of teheran to welcome the return of the religious leader ayatollah. Embassy in tehran and ensuing hostage crisis, reverberate through decades of tense relations between iran and america. Brief background information explains the underpinnings of the revolution and basic facts about islam. Ruhollah khomeini ruhollah khomeini centre greeting supporters after returning to tehran, february 1979. The iranian revolution of 1979 was many years in the making. How 1979 transformed the regional balance of power, itamar rabinovich 15. Michael axworthy is a senior lecturer in the institute of arab and islamic studies and the codirector of the centre. Jun 11, 2009 iranians vote on friday in the 10th presidential election since the 1979 islamic revolution which toppled the u. Reflections on the origins of the iranian revolution of 1979.
At the first signs of escalating unrest in early 1978, neither iranian nor u. The effects of the 1979 revolution, including the takeover of the u. The 21 and 22 of bahman 57 12 and february 1979 were the days of the collapse of the monarchic system when domestic tyranny, and the foreign dominance that relied on it, were. The current overlaps in us and iranian interests make the ongoing bilateral impasse ripe for reassessment, but while the potential to advance relations exists, progress will be measured by the development of several key political, economic, civil society, foreign policy, and national security. Iran is an important test case firstly because until the revolution, iran was one of three key prowestern strongholds in the middle east necessary for suppressing local worker demands and keeping oil production cheap the others being israel and saudi arabia. In this lesson, were going to see how a protest of clerics and students turned into a rapid revolution, and explore the impacts. Beginning in 1978, largescale antigovernment demonstrations challenged. He also served several times as general secretary of the islamic republic party. Islamist revolutionaries opposed the western secular policies of the authoritarian shah of iran mohammed reza pahlavi.
Chapter 1 the historical background chapter 2 notes on the history of iran chapter 3 the communist party of iran chapter 4 the february revolution of 1979 chapter 5 the basis of islamic fundamentalism chapter 6 the economics of counter revolution. It subsequently became the largest among the nationwide uprisings in iran against the new state and one of the most intense kurdish rebellions in modern iran. The number of casualties suffered by protesters and revolutionaries at the hands of the shahs monarchy during the revolution is either close to 60,000, or around 2,000, depending on whether the estimates used are those of islamic government or from historians in western countries. The iranian revolutions legacy of terrorism, daniel byman 16. The bbc persian service and the islamic revolution of 1979. Sep 07, 2006 so we will look at what happened during the iranian revolution of 1978 1979. The islamic revolution occurred in 1979, in the muslim majority country of iran. Islamist revolutionaries opposed the western secular policies of the authoritarian shah of iran mohammed reza pahlavi supporters of ayatollah khomeini organized protests in opposition to the authoritarian government of the shah.
The iranian revolution of 1979 was unexpected, to say the least. Two of those books were from the azari poet samad behrangi. In the iranian revolution of 1979, ayatollah sayyid ruhollah musavi khomeini ousted mohammad reza pahlavi, who succeeded his father as shah of iran in the early 1950s. The organs of the iranian state serve the revolution, not the other way around. Most popular iranian revolution movies and tv shows imdb. The shahs military was the main pillar of his rule but failed to quash the islamic revolution in. The iranian revolution past, present and future glittering achievements, the sassanid empire was characterised by extreme oppression of the downtrodden masses. Its lessons for today kamran nayeri and alireza nasab achievements the february 1979 iranian revolution was the largest urban mass uprising since the 1917 russian revolution. The role and contribution of ayatollah ruhollah khomeini. Less noticed, but equally significant, the revolution provoked a response by saudi arabia and various sunni militant groups that set the stage for the rise.
Irans islamic revolution inspired, divided militants. Dec 03, 20 the iranian revolution occurred between 1977 and 1979, beginning with a series of demonstrations and ending with the overthrow of the shah. Chapter 2 focuses on the social, political and economic status of iran, pre and post revolution. The 1979 iranian revolution council on foreign relations. Iranian revolution wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Emphasizing the interaction between political organizations and social forces, ervand abrahamian discusses iranian society and politics during the period between the constitutional revolution of 19051909 and the islamic revolution of 1977 1979. What are the culturalpolitical effects of the iranian revolution of 1979. The multiple contexts of the iranian revolution in. Pdf this paper intends to explore the role and key contributions that ayatollah ruhollah played in the iranian revolution.
The true story behind the secret mission to save six americans during the iran hostage crisis and the foreign ambassador who worked with the cia to bring them home hardcover. By looking at the historical, domestic, international, and socioeconomic factors related to the revolution, this case study examines the turbulent context of iranian society in the 1970s and the crucial role that religion played in shaping modern iran. Causes and consequences for regional stability leicester university dissertation. Iranian revolution the iranian revolution is considered the 3rd greatest revolution in history. Iranians vote on friday in the 10th presidential election since the 1979 islamic revolution which toppled the u. Ferdows skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Yes, most working people and youth who made the 1979 revolution opposed the royal decree imposed in the 1930s by the imperialistbacked shah of iran, in. In iran, the revolution of 1979 and the rise of islamic fundamentalism resulted in a return to many traditional customs the revolution of 1979 ended the westernization and modernization of iran, and set up a traditional government and society based upon the koran. The iranian revolution 19771979 international center on. Nevertheless, for the iranian world the advent of islam meant not liberation but defeat and conquest by an alien people. The iranian revolution also known as the islamic revolution was the revolution that transformed iran from a monarchy under shah mohammad reza pahlavi to an islamic republic under ayatollah ruhollah khomeini.
A revolution is a mass movement that intends to violently transform the old government into a new political system. Acting under the cover of a hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a cia agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six americans in tehran during the u. I suppose we could talk about how economically the revolution and the subsequent events have been a disaster. The islamic revolution of 1979 took place in a nonarab. The iranian revolution a history and analysis of the revolution in which socialists aligned themselves with islamists to overthrow the westbacked shah. The iranian revolution, which began in 1979 after years of climax, was an uprising against the shahs autocratic rule resulting in much religious and political change. The iranian revolution is the only modern revolution which was deliberately and coherently fomented by a revolutionary movement consisting of different social classes united under the leadership of a senior shia cleric ayatollah ruhollah khomeini. Supporters of ayatollah khomeini organized protests in opposition to the authoritarian government of the shah. Revolution, 1979 juvenile literature publisher new york. Mar 27, 2020 suzanne maloney, editor of the new brookings press volume the iranian revolution at forty, discusses the enduring significance of the 1979 iranian revolution with brookings press director bill.
Diplomatic relations between the us and iran have been frozen since the 1979 islamic revolution. This dissertation will analyze and contend that the islamic republic of iran after the 1979 revolution can provide stability in the gulf region. The revolution of february 1979 was a revolt of the society against the state. The picture show the recent unrest in iran harkens back to the 1979 islamic revolution. Sep 18, 2006 this is a clip from a documentary titled crisis in iran by the history channel with mike wallace. This is a clip from a documentary titled crisis in iran by the history channel with mike wallace. Usrussian strategic relations and the structuration of central asia. Irans peaceable relations with the united states of america. The iranian revolution 19771979 download pdf version by stephen zunes april 2009. Were the thirteen essays michel foucault wrote in 1978 1979 endorsing the iranian revolution an aberration of his earlier work or an inevitable pitfall of his stance on enlightenment rationality, as critics have long alleged. The iranian revolution was the largest urban movement since the 1917 russian revolutions. The iranian revolution of 197779 was the first in a series of mass popular civil insurrections which would result in the overthrow of authoritarian regimes in dozens of countries over the next three decades. Women and the islamic revolution volume 15 issue 2 adele k.
By mark curtis british foreign policy declassified forty years ago, the iranian revolution sent a. Suzanne maloney, editor of the new brookings press volume the iranian revolution at forty, discusses the enduring significance of the 1979 iranian revolution with brookings press director bill. Following the success of the revolution, the islamists instituted a theocratic dictatorship and wiped out the workers movement and the left. Mar 10, 2015 iranian revolution the iranian revolution is considered the 3rd greatest revolution in history. The year that shaped the modern middle east new york. That is, we will attempt to answer the following research question. Panelists reflect on the events that unfolded during the iranian revolution in 1979, how the united states responded, and the consequences for today. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. He helped overthrow the much hated regime of the shah. My brother of 17yo was in shahs jail for having read three books. The revolution led to a surge in iranian backed terrorism that continues, albeit in quite different forms, to this day. Another major figure was ayatollah khomeini who became leader of iran after the islamic revolution of 1979.
This concise but informative history chronicles how the iranian revolution of 1979 transformed iran from a monarchy to a fundamentalist islamic republic. The iranian peoples revolution is only a point in the start of the revolution of the great world of islam. So we will look at what happened during the iranian revolution of 1978 1979. I could mention the estimates that if iran had kept on its pre 1979 trajectory, its gdp would be the largest in the middle east today and. The 1979 islamic revolution in iran has proved one of the most consequential events in the history of modern terrorism. Reza shah, the elder pahlavi, came to power during the 1920s after promoting the idea of 2,500 years of persian monarchy mohammadi 38. James buchan read persian at oxford university and in isfahan in the 1970s and was for many years. The iranian revolution opened a new chapter in the history of mass popular revolutions in the world. Nov 25, 2019 heres a brief history of the iranian revolution of 1979, in which islamic clerics overthrew shah pahlavi and established the islamic republic of iran. Background and causes of the iranian revolution wikipedia.
The rise and fall of the iranian revolution of 1979. It changed that strategic relation of forces in the middle east to the detriment of imperialism. Observers differ on how many people died during the iranian revolution. The 1979 kurdish rebellion in iran erupted in midmarch 1979, some two months after the completion of the iranian revolution. Which type of government did ayatollah khomeini establish as a result of the iranian revolution in 1979.
From october of 1977 to february of 1979, the people of iran called for the end of the monarchy but they didnt necessarily agree on what should replace it. The bbc persian service and the islamic revolution of 1979 massoumeh torfeh and annabelle sreberny in the recent political crisis in iran that followed the contested presidential elections of 12 june, 2009, bbc persian television henceforth bbcptv that had started in. The iranian revolution past, present and future content. How iran and the world around ithave changed in the four decades since a revolutionary theocracy took power. Summary of 1979 islamic revolution for dummies the iranian. However, the causes of revolutionary discontent can be traced back decades, and must first be analyzed. Mar 14, 2018 talk by professor michael axworthy at stanford university on february 15, 2018. Initially, kurdish movements were trying to align with the.
But the compulsory hijab a headscarf covering the hair and neck is not a symbol of iran s revolution. Irans islamic revolution after the overthrow of the shah, an american ally became one of its biggest. In simple terms, the regime of muhammad reza shah pahlavi was overthrown by a coalition of opposition forces dominated by shii muslim fundamentalists. The iranian revolution and its legacy of terrorism lawfare. The iranian revolution kent as the islamic revolution or 1979 revolution an aw. The iranian revolution of february 1979 middle east. The iranian revolution of 1979 has been described as one of the epochal. The iranian revolution utrecht university repository. Shah pahlavi faced a broad coalition of opposition forces, including marxists and constitutional liberals, but the. The 1979 iranian revolutions enduring impact on the world. Iranian revolution, also called islamic revolution, persian enqelabe eslami, popular uprising in iran in 197879 that resulted in the toppling of the monarchy on february 11, 1979, and led to the establishment of an islamic republic.
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