Iran Political and Economic Change

1. Iran Political and Economic Change Matthew David

2. Pivotal Concepts • Domestic stability • Foreign invasion/intervention • Liberalization • Types of government vs. outcomes • Measures of successful governance

3. 1906 Constitution (1906) • Persians were deeply dissatisfied with Qajari rule and foreign intervention. • They demanded the protections and stability of a constitution. • Mozafar o-Din Shah reluctantly agreed to the formation of a Majlis that would be empowered to draft a constitution. • The First Term of the Majlis ratified the constitution.

4. 1921 Coup – Causes (1921-1925) • Foreign occupation – Russia, U.K • Russian Revolution – Russian withdrawal • Qajari leadership was ineffective, corrupt, and weak. • Foreign and domestic interests interfered with the function of the Majlis. • Reza Khan, an officer, assumes control of the Persian Cossack Brigade.

5. 1921 Coup – Effects (1925) • Ahmad Shah, the final Qajari ruler, is removed by Reza Khan’s forces. • Reza Khan is designated Reza Shah Pahlavi, first ruler of the Pahlavi dynasty. • The Majlis is marginalized to a rubber-stamp capacity in a new, authoritarian regime.

6. Reza Shah Pahlavi’s Rule (1925-1941) • Parallel modernization and deliberalization. • Shari’a courts are replaced with secular ones. • Secular, public education (University of Iran) • Infrastructure is built (Trans-Iranian Railway) • Productive capacity for oil was increased • Press was extremely limited • Citizen groups (unions and political parties) are prohibited.

7. Pahlavi Succession (1941) • Reza Shah Pahlavi wished to maintain commercial ties with Germany. • Iran appreciated Germany’s lack of imperial activity in Iran. • The Allies feared German control of Iranian oil and obstruction of the Persian Corridor supply route. • Anglo-Soviet forces invaded Iran.

9. Pahlavi Succession (cont.) (1941) • Invasion force secures supply routes and oil fields. • Britain has a personal distaste for the Shah, as a result, it insists that Reza Shah Pahlavi abdicate his rule; he is exiled to South Africa. • His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, assumes the throne of Shah. • Iran suffers great economic and humanitarian costs under Allied occupation.

10. Post-War Pahlavi Rule (1941-1949) • Mohammad Reza Pahlavi lacked the totalitarian capability of his father. • This control deficit allowed the political environment to liberalize. • Political parties and trade unions formed. They ranged from theocrats to communists. • Mohammad Mossadegh led the National Front, a broadly popular opposition party.

11. Rise of Mossadegh (1949-1951) • The British oil concession provided Iran with limited revenue. • Faced with the popularity of Mossadegh, the Shah allowed him to become prime minister. • The Majlis nationalized Iran’s oil industry. • Britain responded with an embargo on Iranian oil; oil revenues were eviscerated.

13. 1953 Coup d'état (1953) • Desperate to reinstate control over Iran’s oil, the British government enlisted the assistance of the C.I.A. to oust Mossadegh. • The British government noted the rise of the pro-communism Tudeh party. • The administration of Eisenhower, committed to containing communism, was receptive to the British request.

15. 1953 Coup d'état (cont.) • The CIA and MI6 began a propaganda campaign to build popular support for Mossadegh’s ouster. • The initial attempt of the coup failed; the Shah was forced to flee Iran. • The Anglo-American forces initiated a second phase, manifest in demonstrations demanding the Shah’s return. • Mossadegh’s government fell, and the Shah reassumed his throne.

16. Post-coup Pahlavi Rule (1953-1979) • Rule was bolstered by Western support. • Extensive military investment • Foreign policy outreach • Shah limited civil liberties to prevent future uprisings – SAVAK secret police. • Land reform redistributed arable land to small-scale farmers in exchange for stakes in Iranian industry. Profits from agriculture were distributed within land collectives.

17. White Revolution (1960s) • Intensified redistribution of land • Public health and literacy initiatives • Expansion of secular courts and education • Increased education, economic opportunity, and political influence (enfranchisement) for women. • Degradation of clerical wealth and influence • Collective farms lacked infrastructure and central support. • Urbanization outpaced public services and economic capacity.

18. Iranian Revolution – Causes (1970s) • Shah’s oppressive rule • Policies that conflicted with Islamism • Western support for the Shah

20. Iranian Revolution – Participants • While the Shah was in power, the opposition groups united with religious leaders in support of Ayatollah Khomeini. • Opponents of the Shah: • Youth • Urbanites • Unemployed workers • Migrants

21. Iranian Revolution – Events (1978-1979) • Protests would occur in cycles: young people would demonstrate against the Shah, they would be killed, and another group would protest the Shah’s brutality and honor the previous one’s martyrdom. • In early 1979, faced with the imminent threat of the revolutionaries, the Shah departed Iran. • His appointed successors, the Regency Council, could not govern Iran. • Ayatollah Khomeini returned to mass public support. • Iranians voted to establish an Islamic Republic under the rule of Khomeini.

23. Iranian Revolution – Effects (1979) • Iran became an Islamic Republic (Theocracy). • The conservative members of the revolutionary coalition marginalized the other members. • Political leaders and laws were changed to reflect strict adherence to Islamism. • Revolutionary Guards eliminated opposition and secured the new regime against Western intervention (Cultural Revolution). • Ties with and practices of the West were eliminated from Iran. • Students, inspired by revolutionary fervor, took hostages at the United States’ embassy in Tehran.

26. Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) • Saddam Hussein, the Sunni leader of Iraq, wished to destabilize the new Shia regime in Iran. • Iran wished to eliminate Hussein and liberate Iraq’s Shia population. • Iraq’s forces moved to capture the Shatt al-Arab waterway; Iran later retook the territory. • The enormously costly war ended in a stalemate.

28. 1989 Constitutional Referendum (1989) • As Ayatollah Khomeini neared death, Iran considered the future of its constitution. • After consideration within Iran’s leadership, a constitutional referendum was proposed by the Majlis. • A majority of voters approved the amendments. • The new constitution eliminated the prime minister, defined the process of succession for the Supreme Leader, and clarified the authority of the Expediency Council.

29. Post-Referendum Leadership (1989-Present) • While the religious leadership has been conservative, Iranian presidents have varied in ideology. • Of the most recent three presidents, one has been a reformer (Khatami), one a conservative (Ahmadinejad), and one a moderate (Rouhani). • Varying amounts and successes of privatization.

30. Foreign Relations • Iran developed an adversarial relationship with its former allies in the West. • The government has funded Shia extremists across the Middle East. • Opposition to Israel is a cornerstone of Iranian foreign policy. • A nuclear program has been the source of considerable tension and sanctions from the West.

32. Comparison to U.S. Political Change • Iranian revolutionary fervor can be compared to conservative backlash in the U.S. • Three essential elements: • Social issues infuriate the public (Departure from Islam & CRM) • Undesirable changes are attributed to a broader ill (Foreign intervention & social upheaval/moral decay) • Response that exceeds the scope of the identified problem (Authoritarian government & economic reform)

36. Activity • Draw a conclusion about Iran’s condition resulting from one of four scenarios.

37. Activity – Scenarios • Iran under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi • Mossadegh not ousted by coup d'état • Iran led by non-Islamist revolutionaries • Modern Iran