Politics in Iran

1
Politics in Iran

• A brief overview of the Iranian Revolution

2
(No Transcript)
3
Iran Basics

• Population
• Persian, Azeri (Turkic), Kurdish, etc
• Language(s)
• Persian, etc
• Religion Shiism

4
This and the map on the following slide from the
Univ. of Texas map collection, http//www.lib.utex
as.edu
5
Iran prior to Revolution

• Authoritarian monarchy
• Harsh police rule, systematic torture
• Forced westernization
• Devaluation of the Ulama Islam
• US aid oil revenue
• patronage
• The White Revolution
• Large-scale industrial development, literacy,
  education, land reform

Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi
6
1979 Iranian Revolution Why

• Rising popular opposition
• Authoritarianism
• Economic woes
• Urban middle class suffering
• Shahs reliance on foreign experts
• Cracks in the regime
• US NGO pressure
• Moderate reforms
• Crises
• Economic recession
• protest suppression

The Shah had a lot of sympathy for the poor.
Cartoon by Iraj Zare re-printed in Hassan
Javadi's Satire in Persian Literature.
7
Iranian Revolution Who
A. Khomeini
Moderate, politicized Ulama
Radical Ulama
Bazaari merchants
Theological students
Urban workers
Secular students
Secular Urban Intellectuals
Oil workers on strike, 1978.
8
Post-revolution competing visions

• 1st (early Revolution) Vision
• Moderate Constitutional Monarchy
• 2nd Vision
• Secular Republic -- respecting but not
  controlled by Shiism
• 3rd Vision
• Theocracy-government of Ulama

From Marjane Satrapi, Persopolis
9
1979 Iranian Revolution How

• Early days of protest suppression
• pamphlets,cassettes demonstrations
• Violent suppression continued resistance
• Growing confrontation
• Sept 8 1978 Black Friday in Tehran wave of
  protests and violent suppression
• Strikes, paralysis of Iranian economy, huge
  demonstrations, defections in the army
• Jan. 1979 M. Reza Shah flees the country
• Feb. 1 A. Khomeini returns to Iran

Ayatollah Khomeini escorted by military officers
upon his return to Iran. Photo from
http//www.gwu.edu/nsarchiv/nsa/publications/iran
/irbroch.html
10
After the revolution

• New Islamic republic (03/1979)
• But what was an Islamic Republic?
• Foreign crises
• U.S. hostage crisis
• Nov. 1979
• Iran-Iraq War,80-89
• 260,000 Iranians dead
• Internal resistance purges
• 1981-82- internal conflict and suppression
  10,000 Iranians die

Photo http//www.iranian.com
11
The new theocracy changes reforms

• The new state democracy theocracy
• Islamicization of law governance
• Economy state control, privatization
• 1988 and after liberalization package
• new privatization, reduction of govt subsidies,
  promotion of exports
• oil still provides 40-50 of government income
• New Sharia-based legal code
• increasingly challenged in late 1980s
• Cultural revolution
• Social reforms
• Reconstruction Jihad Improved rural conditions
• Improved education and public health
• Rise in female literacy 36 in 1976 72 in 1996
• Grassroots primary health care
• Better family planning drastic reduction in
  birthrate after 1988

12
One view of the Cultural Revolution
From Marjane Satrapi, Persopolis
13
(No Transcript)