...The Iranian revolution was surrounded by the imagery and representation of the religion Shiism Islam. The religion served as the fuel filling the revolution. “Ideology is not simply a set of ideas in people's minds or in an accomplished text. Ideology can be observed in people's attempts to formulate their strategies of action and in the activities and artifacts of its producers (Wuthnow 1989, p. 16 as cited in Moaddel, 1992).” Wherefore, ideology is best theorized using concepts, principles and customs to provide answer to problems “in a particular historical episode” (Moaddel, 1992). According to Homa Katouzian, the 1979 revolution was an uprsing against the state in particular the Shah regime. For him, the revolution imitate the common...
Words: 888 - Pages: 4
...The Iranian Revolution was a symbol of anti-imperialism, anti-industrialization, and a return to anti-western society. Starting in the early 20th century, the Pahlavi dynasty took control of Iran with the goal of modernizing the country. Citizens did not like the western influence, the rapid change, and many felt forgotten. They turned to intellectuals and religious scholars to remedy the situation and topple the Shah. The Iranian Revolution started as a left-wing movement to end political oppression and western influence, but resulted in a conservative, religious government more repressive than before. It was caused by long-standing anger at western dependence, rapid economic growth, and government brutality. It was carried out by an alliance...
Words: 1866 - Pages: 8
...The Iranian Revolution “In Iran's future Islamic system everyone can express their opinion, and the Islamic government will respond to logic with logic.” (Khomeini) Furthermore, Ruhollah Khomeini was the islamic fundamentalists that was the leader of the Iranian Revolution. However, the revolution did not just come out of the blue, but it had a lot of factors that led up to it. Life before the revolution highly differed from life in the midst of the revolution. Moreover, the Iranian Revolution began in 1978 and ended in 1979. The country fell into chaos and many were forced to flee and migrate to other countries. In particular, my father and his family had to flee Iran at the onset of the revolution. Life in Iran before the revolution was...
Words: 1513 - Pages: 7
...The Iranian Revolution and its contribution to Islamic Political Revival Sisy M. Orobitg INR3274: International Relations of the Middle East Professor Alla Mirzoyan December 8, 2008 The Iranian Revolution and its contribution to Islamic Political Revival The Pahlavi Dynasty was for many Iranians a constitutional monarchy turned corrupt that plagued them with economic frustrations, rising unemployment and an overwhelming feeling of anxiety that began during 1975s oil crisis. Lack of government accountability and increasing political unrest among the middle class exacerbated the crisis and allowed the religious clergy to take advantage. Thus, this disillusionment with the governing monarchy paved the way to a revolution that has proven to be unprecedented. The advent of a new Islamic revival proved successful upon the birth of the Iranian Revolution and with the overwhelming consent of its people came the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as its ruler. With a new political mind-frame, came an authoritarian regime, which volubly conceded to no one, and consolidated itself through each governing tenet. The resilience of this regime brought about terror.( Mehran Kamrava; A Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War (2005)) The author of this new political revival which has impregnated into other areas of the Arab World is The Iranian Republic. All Western world influences that attempted...
Words: 2053 - Pages: 9
...family structure, the state, and religion, geared with a specific focus on gender, a basic set of followed societal governing rules and values become apparent. Each of these societal structures are interrelated, working together to permit as well as restrict the agency of women in revolutionary Iranian society. For the development of successful social change to take place, it must arise through gender conflict, class conflict, and political action. Each social structure such as, family structure, state relations, and religion, is located within the larger context of a national structure, meaning the examples previously mentioned are subject to larger regional and global influences and changes. Due to this reasoning, it is important to examine evolving economic development and political change to understand women’s status within Iranian revolutionary societies and furthermore, their changing roles within the traditional family structure, Islam, education, and the work force. Through an analysis of class location, policy restructuring, and changing gender roles, the progressive development of women’s mobility and female status within the public sphere will arise. As a result of the revolution,women’s transition and integration into the public sphere, gender relations and norms that had been legitimized through societal rules and legal laws became threatened and challenged. Women represent a multi-figured individual that are both,“Active...
Words: 3506 - Pages: 15
...Iranian Hostage Crisis Lance Richard Mr. Gaspard English IV April 26, 2013 Iranian Hostage Crisis Can anyone imagine being in captivity for four hundred forty-four days. Away from family and friends, wondering what is going on in the outside world.The Iranian Hostage Crisis was a horrid time for fifty-three Americans who were held hostage in the worst conditions of there lives against there will. The living conditions and time spent in captivity took a mental and physical toll on the Americans involved. The hatred among the United States and Iran grew significantly during the time of the crisis. The Iranian Hostage Crisis was the greatest contributor to negatively impacting the economy and US's realtionship with Iran. The Iranian Hostage began on November 4, 1979 and lasted for four hundred forty-four days until January 20 1981. In 1977 the stage was set for the revolution and the virtual severance of ties between Iran and the United States (Gorman 1181)The seizure of the American embassy was initially planned in September 1979 by Ebrahim Asgharzadez (“Iranian Hostage Crisis” weebly). The takeover was orginally suppose to be short-term but US didnt follow the demands of Iran. In the words of Asgharzades, “We intented to detain.... for a few days, ,aybe one week, but no more.”(Gorman 1184) Asgharzadez consulted with the heads of the Islamic associations of Tehran's main universities. “Our aim was to object the...
Words: 2029 - Pages: 9
...In the direct aftermath of the 1979 revolution, that sought to dethrone the Shah, the political climate that was left by the Pahlavi regime was chaotic and disorganised. Prior to the American hostage crisis, it was not clear to what extent the formation of a clerical and purely Shi’a Islamic regime could take place. Arguably, the hostage crisis played an important role in the consolidation of the clerical regime: it allowed for one single cause to rally behind; shaped and characterised the religious and clerical nature of the regime; and provided a means of catalysing subsequent events that would be crucial in the development of the Islamic Republic. The consolidation of the clerical regime can be attributed to three national catastrophes...
Words: 1754 - Pages: 8
...Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the shah of Iran for about from 1941 to his overthrown by the Iranian revolution on February 11, 1979. He took the title of the shah from his father who was the last shaw. Iran was a poor and uncivilized country and when Russia wanted to move forward the completely control of the country the Unites States helped to gave him back the throne and power of his country. Pahlavi wanted to Westernize his country and transformed his country in a modern Iran. The shaw had suffered a lot of criticism because many believed that the Westernization did not follow the Islam religion. Also the lower class were discontented by the unfair conditions of how the corrupted government was working toward them. Another aspect that...
Words: 402 - Pages: 2
...Ch. 19 The Iranian Revolution and the Revival of Islam The chapter started by describing how influential the Iranian Revolution turned out to be. Not only to of course the Iranians which saw the overthrow of the American installed Shah, and a radical change in laws which saw a change from secular to Islamic codes but also to Islamic states worldwide. There were many in the position of leadership that did not welcome the success of the revolution. Those nations that did have problem were primarily the conservative monarchs both religious and secular; these officials did not want the emergence of a militant Islamic Republic. Another nation that had problems with the change was the United States. After the Shah was deposed the United States...
Words: 528 - Pages: 3
...Why and What Do We Compare? The Story of Revolution and Democratization Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Syracuse University Introduction The field of comparative politics starts with the assumption that knowledge in the social sciences must proceed by way of the search for comparisons, or what has been called "suggestive contrasts." Scholars of comparative politics compare in order to discover similarities and explain differences. As infrequent and highly complex events, revolutions have attracted a great deal of attention from comparativists. In this article, we will address the following topics: • The Concept of Revolution • Why Revolutions Happen? • Can Revolutions be Predicted? • What Do Revolutions Accomplish? • What Are some of the Failures of Revolutions? • Comparing Characteristics and Outcomes of Some Revolutions • Questions The Concept of Revolution: According to the American philosopher Richard Rorty "revolution," like such other words as "reason," "democracy," and "socialism" is a "thick word" which can be contrasted with such "thin words" as truth, dialogue, and justice. How do we define a "revolution?" How are revolutions distinct from other forms of political change such as Coup d'état, rebellion, mutiny, insurrection, or uprising? All of the above nouns may denote acts of violence aimed at changing or overthrowing an existing order or authority. However, there are important legal and political differences among them as well. ...
Words: 3593 - Pages: 15
...The very notion that Khomeini was at times connected to the Mahdi is representative of how influential and powerful he quickly became following his persuasive speech on Ashura in 1963. Indeed, he used this symbolic day as an opportunity to appeal to the emotions of Iranians through Karbala references: “If the Bani Umayyad and the regime of Yazid ibn Mu’awiya were at war with Husayn, then why did they commit such savage and inhuman crimes against defenseless women and innocent children on the day of Ashura? What were the women and infants guilt of?” By reminding Iranians of their own struggles under the Shah through deeply symbolic language, especially during the month of Muharram, Khomeini strategically connected with the people on a personal level. He was not a distant ruler like the Shah or foreign governments; he was...
Words: 835 - Pages: 4
...established on September 1952 as a private bank (BSI, Annual Report , 2011). After Iranian revolution, in June 1979 all Iranian banks were nationalized to dismay and became state owned. It has largest network within Iranian banking system with 2700 local branches, 21 overseas branches. 2. Islamic Contracts: these are contracts under which banks are authorized to grant facilities to the customer and participate indirectly in the investments: Quardh Al Hassaneh, Direct Investment, Guarantees etc., Electronic Banking: Mobile banking, Internet Banking, Bill, Gold deposits, Investment deposit for Children’s Future prosperity, marriage portion, farmers and workers’ future prosperity etc (BSI, Annual Report , 2011). 3. BSI went international in 1961 by opening a branch in Hamburg and thereafter opened branches in major European cities and Gulf region. 4. Management at...
Words: 721 - Pages: 3
...Persepolis is a memoir written by Marjane Satrapi. Marjane writes a story that describes her life in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Persepolis represents a unique life of a child in Tehran, Iran and the actions she took in order to survive the political upheaval her country was facing. Iran having the Islamic Revolution in 1979 was the end of the old and start of the new. Many changes that took place in Iran during this time period such as mandatory laws stating that women wear veils and how all games, alcohol, and parties were banned. Life in Iran had dramatically changed in just a few years during this time period. The Islamic Revolution and the war that followed the revolution are important in history because they show the causes and effects of war and how it can destroy a country and provoke tyranny and injustice. During the time of revolution there is the loss of government, creating a hostile environment in a society. The events described in Persepolis also inform others of the chaos Iran has gone through to get to its current state. In January 1979, the Shah left Iran; he died abroad several years after. On February 1, 1979, exiled religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from France to lead a revolution resulting in a new, theocratic republic guided by Islamic principles. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini back in Iran after 15 years in exile in Turkey, Iraq, and France, became Iran's national religious leader. After Khomeini's death on June 3, 1989,...
Words: 701 - Pages: 3
...Persepolis Essay Pesepolis is an autobiographical graphic novel depicting the life of Marjane Satrapi during the Iranian Revolution. In the early pages, Marjane illustrates that she saw herself as a prophet. She wanted to change the world, and with the help of God, she thought that she could. During Satrapi’s early childhood, the traditions and history of Iran had been going through drastic changes. The Iranian Revolution was when Iran’s monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown and replaced with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who led the revolution. ii Persepolis is framed during 1979 and after the Iranian Revolution. The Shah of Persia was overthrown and eventually replaced by an Islamist government during this time. Satrapi narrates her experience of the Revolution, which includes bombings, violent deaths of family and friends, and inequality. Women of Iran had many restrictions, and the leaders of Iran had disrespected them in many ways and belittled them as citizens. I The Islam religion forces women to wear veils for many reasons. Satrapi shows us how men saw themselves superior to woman and how most women did not enjoy the attitudes of men and also following certain obligations like wearing the veil. Following the Revolution, intense social changes took place in what had previously been a liberal country, became a religious republic. Her family lived through many events. She discusses how her mother told her that the regime burned...
Words: 641 - Pages: 3
...the Revolution” by Dan Shadur recounts the lives of multiple Israelis who worked at the Israeli embassy in Iran before the 1979 revolution. Before the Revolution, the movie states, Israel and Iran had good ties, a sort of “enemy of my enemy is my friend” attitude. In this essay I will compare the experiences of Israelis who immigrated to Iran with the experiences of Jews native to Iran. I will show that while there was a tremendous Iranian Jewish population, the influx of Israelis who immigrated to Iran mostly in search of economic and intelligence work furthered current resentment in the native populations. In Iran at the time of the Shah there was a large minority Jewish population who were proud to call themselves...
Words: 672 - Pages: 3
