My backgroubd knowledge - The incidence

Iranian Revolution

Dominant religion: Shia

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi:

• He comes in after WWII taking over for his father, Reza Shah

• He accommodated foreign oil interests (like the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co.)

• He tried to modernize/secularize Iran

• Pro-US

Out goes the Shah; In comes the Ayatollah

PM Mossaddeq: elected in 1951 as people were unhappy with the Shah.

• Became PM in 1951

• He began which greatly disturbed the British. They were kicked out of the country so needed help.

• While he is not a communist, he receives support from the Iranain communist party.

• Remember kids… Your friends and who you hang with makes an impression on others!

His actions?

Result?

• Well… Mohammed Reza fled the country, the Shah loyalists, with the help of the CIA, overthrew Mossaddeq in 1953 and put the Shah back into power.

• Crisis resolved. Or is it?

Truman doesn’t overthrow, but Eisenhower does.

SAVAK – The Shah’s intelligence service

• Very powerful

• Very repressive

WHY the Revolution by 1979?

• Well… You identify some points from the GREAT article I handed out to you

• The Shah imposed price controls to curb inflation-> closed down many small shops-> merchant class opposes

• Modernists opposed him for his capitalistic economic policies

• Progressive intellectuals wanted a modernized Iran, but no monarchy

• Professional middle class viewed the shah’s highly centralized control over the political and economic process as the greatest obstacle to their advancement

January, 15 1979

• The Shah leaves Iran

• He first goes to Egypt and then Mexico.

• Because he has cancer and his health is deteriorating he asks for admittance to the US and President Jimmy Carter accepts the request.

• He leaves the US for Panama and then dies in Egypt

February 1, 1979: The Islamic Republic is declared

• Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini: He is kicked out of Iran in 1964 and goes to Iraq and then Saddam Hussein kicks hm out of Iraq in 1978 and he goes to France which is actually a blessing in disguise. WHY?

• According to Khomeini: “There is not a single topic of human life for which Islam has not provided instruction and established norms.”

• Hence… The creation of a theocracy (Doesn't mean he is the President!)

power from 1979 to 1989.

My Background knowledge

Before Iranian revolution, Iran was under foreign force, and their natural resource were under foreign forces' control.

The first one who tried to get rid of foreign force was Iranian Prime Minister Mossaddeq who was in power from 1951 to 1953.

Actually, he was assassinated in 1953.

Then Shah, who was pro to western force, came back into the power, and kicked Ayatollah out of Iran as Ayatollah was gaining more power, and shah was afraid to the western force.

Ayatollah initially went to Iraq, where is touching Iran's bourder line.

However, Ayatollah was kicked out from there again and goes to France in 1978.

In France, he records his speech with cassette tapes, and he sent them to Iran, and these speech were heard by the entire Iranian population. This was building powder keig in Iran for revolution, and in January 1979, shah was kicked out of the throne, and the revolution was triggered.