e of this tremendous growth in wealth trickled down through the lower, middle class and lower classes. In fact, this wealth merely widened the gap between those who had and those who did not. Coupled with rises in the cost of living as well as desirable imported products which were unaffordable to these classes, it is understandable how Iran's growth in wealth drove the underprivileged to join the Revolutionary movement. For example, while per capita income rose significantly in Iran's urban centers during this period, it actually declined for families living in rural areas (Encyclopedia Iranica, 1992, 687). While frustrations rose over the growing disparity in incomes, the Revolutionary movement had relatively little difficulty acquiring economic resources because it tapped into the entrepreneurial classes' newfound wealth.
Spatially, the Revolutionary movement appealed to a wide base of people. Its foundation was in the urban centers where the large Mosques of the Qom could be found. The urban centers also contained the unive
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