Brief History of the Iranian Revolution
- Britain and the Soviet Union conquered Iran during World War II. The Shah of Iran, Reza Shah, who was ruling Iran at this point, was a pro-Axis supporter.
- The Allied powers were sceptical about him and they feared that they might end up losing control over Iran’s oilfields.
- The Allied deposed Reza Shah and his rule was replaced by his son Shah Mohammed Reza.
- Mohammed Reza Pallavi shared a very cordial acquantainship with the Western powers. But, in 1953, there was a power struggle between Reza Pahlavi’s Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, and Reza Shah eloped to Italy.
- The people democratically elected Mohammad Mossadegh. He nationalized the oil fields.
- Reza Shah restored the Iranian throne by overthrowing Mossadegh. The American CIA and the British M16 helped him.
- This did not go well with the Iranian people, as in both circumstances, Reza was helped by the West to come to power. They started thinking that the Pallavi Dynasty became puppets in the hands of Western culture.
- Reza started to embark on the policy of modernization, that would topple the traditional culture and create a new Western culture. This was referred to as the White Revolution.
- Unexpectedly, the White Revolution did not work well for Reza. It led to the coming up of two new classes, the intelligentsia and the new working class, which in turn led to more social tension in Iran. They became a threat to Reza’s power.
- One such stringent opposition came from a Shia cleric – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He raised his voice against the Shah’s reforms. Due to this, he was sent into exile.
- The new economic reforms created unemployment among the youth. Khomeini’s opposition worked as an added advantage for the youths.
- Khomeini stressed that he aimed to overthrow the hegemony of the West and revive the traditional culture. He gained widespread support even from the secular intellectuals, who believed that only the Ulema could help in overthrowing the Shah.
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution of 1979 was a turning point in Iran’s history. The revolution resulted in the overthrow of Shah Mohammed Reza, who belonged to the Pahlavi Dynasty, who established a pro–western regime. It led to the Islamic Republic’s establishment under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s leadership. The Iranian Revolution was a Shia Islamic Revolution.
In this particular article, we will focus on its background, causes, and impacts.
Contact Us