Key points for the first two to three decades after the 1979 islamic revolution, the iranianled axis of resistance was little more than rhetoric, ascribing greater unity of effort to an. Based on the scholarly literature, the study argues that it was only ruhollah. Ideology, politics, and the development of military power in iran 19792009 by. Heres a brief history of the iranian revolution of 1979, in which islamic clerics overthrew shah pahlavi and established the islamic republic of iran. It included, among other things, land reform, the construction of expanded road, rail, and air networks, dams, and irrigation projects, and support for industrial growth. Irans 1979 revolution is one of the most important events of the late twentieth.
Strikes began in irans oil fields in the autumn 1978 and by january 1979, crude oil production declined by 4. Khomeinis theory of islamic state and the making of the. At the first signs of escalating unrest in early 1978, neither iranian nor u. Exporting the revolution secret pa 8010121 march 1980 7 copy approved for release 200604. It turns out, iran has a pretty long history of unrest in order to put power in the hands of the people, and the most recent revolution in 1979 was, at. The article below corrects the initial weeks of militant coverage of the large workingclass protests that began in mashhad, iran, on dec. Following the success of the revolution, the islamists instituted a theocratic dictatorship and wiped out the workers movement and the left. Obama, iran, and the triumph of diplomacy, by trita parsi shah of shahs, by ryszard kapuscinski the blind owl, by sadegh hedayat savushun, by simin daneshvar also published as a persian. An overview 6 3 ideological factions among iran s leadership elite 11 4 the president 22 5 the supreme leader of the revolution 46 6 the constitutional assemblies 58 7 the revolutionary armed security forces 65. What irans 1979 revolution meant for us and global oil markets. 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. Mar 26, 2020 key points for the first two to three decades after the 1979 islamic revolution, the iranianled axis of resistance was little more than rhetoric, ascribing greater unity of effort to an. Iran islamic republic ofs constitution of 1979 with.
Sep 18, 2006 this is a clip from a documentary titled crisis in iran by the history channel with mike wallace. The personality of irans ayatollah khomeini was a critical element in defining irans war role. The iranian revolution of 1979 was many years in the making. Iran, may 2008 3 in november 1979, students affiliated with the latter group occupied the u. Iran and the united states few nations have relationships as troubled as iran and the us. T he islamic republic of iran that emerged from the revolution of 1979 has lasted quite well. Khomeinis background, charisma, and thirst for revenge on those. You need to be able to give examples of each of these in order to explain why there was a revolution in iran in 1979. This revolution was not without consequence, as the revolution brought about a governmental change, but also changed the social and economic features of the country.
The iranian revolution past, present and future brought the safavids into direct conflict with the ottoman empire and led to two centuries of intermittent warfare between those two powerful states. In revolutionary iran, michael axworthy guides us through recent iranian history from shortly before the 1979 islamic revolution through the summer of 2009, when iranians poured into the streets of tehran by the hundreds of thousands, demanding free, democratic government. The 1979 islamic revolution in iran has proved one of the most consequential events in the history of modern terrorism. An independent revolutionary iran could have provided economic and political assistance to kabul and mitigated its reliance on theussr.
The 1979 islamic revolution in iran led to a set of major shifts in the middle east and an antiisraeli stance became a central approach of the. Catherine ashtons letter to irans chief nuclear negotiator saeed jalili. Mazdaks revolutionary movement is one of the most inspiring class struggles in the history of iran. This tradition has left deep marks on the long course of iranian. With respect to the islamic content of the iranian revolution, which was a movement for the. Contemporary events since 911, the war on terror, and the arab uprisings have made foucaults essays on the iranian revolution. Map of iran xvi i irans maze of power centers 1 1 introduction 2 2 formal and informal power structures in iran.
If the 1979 nicaraguan revolution and sandinista regime were of limited consequence for world politics in the grand scheme of things, the iranian revolution and islamic republic. Charles kurzman through interviews and eyewitness accounts, declassified security documents and underground pamphlets, kurzman documents the overwhelming sense of confusion that gripped prerevolutionary iran, and. The revolution led to a surge in iranianbacked terrorism that continues, albeit in quite different forms, to this day. 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. Ideology and irans revolution institute for global change. Library of congress federal research division country profile. No serious historian can write about these events without consulting his 10page essay on available source material in the unthinkable revolution in iran. The iranian revolution kent as the islamic revolution or 1979 revolution an aw. Iranian leaders, including ayatollah khomeini and president banisadr, are ideologically committed to. Mar 25, 2020 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. An overview 6 3 ideological factions among irans leadership elite 11 4 the president 22 5 the supreme leader of the revolution 46 6 the constitutional assemblies 58 7 the revolutionary armed security forces 65. The white revolution, a farreaching series of reforms launched in 1963, was intended to transform iran into an economic and industrial power.
It featured an organized alliance of opposition groups, each with their own distinct grievances and revolutionary goals. Click download or read online button to get the unthinkable revolution in iran book now. Background and causes of the iranian revolution wikipedia. How iranand the world around ithave changed in the four decades since a revolutionary theocracy took power. Guardians of the islamic revolution deep blue university of. Mar 05, 2019 the iranian revolution sparked the worlds second oil shock in five years. A history of the islamic republic, by michael axworthy losing an enemy. The safavid dynasty ruled iran until 1722, when an afghan army invaded the country and captured isfahan. This revolution did not fit the patterns and expectations of even the relatively well informed. The 197879 revolution and its aftermath awakened for the first time in twentyfive years widespread public interest in iranand, to a large degree, bafflement and incomprehension. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading revolutionary iran. Iran on brink of revolution in wake of us sanctions, claims rudy giuliani donald trumps personal lawyer has said the uss sanctions on iran are causing the middle eastern nation. Iran islamic republic ofs constitution of 1979 with amendments through 1989.
Iranian revolutions in comparative perspective oxford academic. Constitutional revolution was the result of the effort of many iranian people. A history of the islamic republic kindle edition by axworthy, michael. Map of iran xvi i iran s maze of power centers 1 1 introduction 2 2 formal and informal power structures in iran. The role and contribution of ayatollah ruhollah khomeini article pdf available may 2012 with 12,142 reads how we measure reads. Mar 01, 20 t he islamic republic of iran that emerged from the revolution of 1979 has lasted quite well. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Exporting the revolution one year after the fall of the shah, irans leaders appear more determined than ever to export their islamic revolution to other countries in the near east and south asia. The iranian revolution a history and analysis of the revolution in which socialists aligned themselves with islamists to overthrow the westbacked shah. Thirty years on, and better late than never, iran is a more prosperous country than under the pahlavi. The ensuing grand and bloody revolution of the muslim community in the month of khordad. This paper intends to explore the role and key contributions that ayatollah ruhollah played in the iranian revolution. Iranian revolution the usbacked shah of iran, mohammed reza pahlevi, is forced to leave the country on 16 january following months of. In simple terms, the regime of muhammad reza shah pahlavi was overthrown by a coalition of opposition forces dominated by shii muslim fundamentalists.
This is a clip from a documentary titled crisis in iran by the history channel with mike wallace. Today, whether it comes to international terrorism, nuclear proliferation, fossil fuels, the united nations or the middle east peace process, there are few global issues where the strained relation between the us and iran are not clearly felt. This revolution can be regarded as a turning point in the history of iran. Charles kurzman has produced the definitive account of the islamic revolution. The iranian revolution, past, present and future iran chamber. The period 196063 marked a turning point in the development of the iranian state. Roots and results of revolution, by nikki keddie revolutionary iran. It is, however, safe to say that future investigations will and must be fitted into the historical picture to the degree that they tie their results into the history of elam. Islamic revolution appears to bear little ideological resemblance to revolutions in the west or to irans constitutional revolution of 190511. The unthinkable revolution in iran download ebook pdf.
This papers aims to analyse and deconstruct the various trigger points of the iranian revolution, using the basic principles of the marxist theory, which are. Foucault in irancenters not only on the significance of the great thinkers writings on the revolution but also on the profound mark the event left on his later lectures on ethics, spirituality, and fearless speech. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. 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 19771979. 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.