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The Iranian Revolution

The Iranian revolution of 1979 had its roots in long-standing dissatisfaction with the ruling Persian royal house, economic dislocation, rapid cultural and historical change, the regional position that the country held and its relationship with the West. This paper examines the historical background of that war, examining how it came about and discussing what its consequences have been so far for the country and people of Iran.

Any event as dramatic as that of the Iranian revolution has deep roots, and whatever point in history one selects as the moment when the revolution became inevitable must be both arguable and artificial. But the underlying reasons for the revolution must be laid at least in large measure on the actions of Reza Shah, the father of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the shah who was ousted during the revolution. Reza Shah was determined to modernize and centralize the operations of his country, which he set about to do using a Western model of industrial development.

To bring about modernization, Reza Shah assumed dictatorial powers, relying for his power base upon the armed forces as well as on his own personal popularity. The king banned political parties, suppressed revolts, formed a secret police force and dramatically curtailed the power of the clergy (Mohammadi 49). All of these actions would result in a predictable political reaction against the monarch. In the late 1940s, political opposition to the shah coalesced behind the leadership of Mohammed Mossadeq. When Mossadeq demanded control of the war ministry in 1952, a series of violent demonstrations erupted, followed by a parliamentary crisis.

The shah might well have fallen without the intervention of the United States. Fearing the spread of communism in Asia, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower authorized a CIA-backed coup in Iran that culminated in the arrest of Mossadeq and the reinstatement of the Pahlavi dynasty in the form of the shah's son ...

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The Iranian Revolution. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 21:20, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1690940.html