Iran: Sovereignty, Authority, and Power

Nathan Schilling

Where is Iran?

Overview of Iranian Historical Traditions

• Authoritarianism

• Independence from the rest of the middle east-Nationalism

• Importance of Religion

• Balancing Islam with Westernization

The complete history of Iran in five minutes

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A long, long time ago• Agriculture imported

from the Fertile Crescent allows for the Elamite kingdom to flourish.

• Elamites crushed by the Assyrians.

• Elamite culture revived, centerpiece of Persian culture

Ancient Persia (550-330BCE)• Started by Cyprus

the Great.

• Zoroastrianism, similar to Abrahamic religions, is state religion

• Conquered by Alexander the Great in 330BC, yet Persian culture influences Iranian culture today.

More Authoritarian States• Seleucids (305-250BCE)• Parthians (250BCE-224CE)• Sassanids (224-651CE)-Persian culture reaches

zenith. Rival of Rome• Conquered by Muslim armies after the founding

of Islam in 632CE-ruled by the Umayyad, then Abbasid Caliphate until 819

• Samanids (819-999CE)• Seljuk Turks (999-1220CE)• Mongols (1220-1502CE)• Shi’ite Safavids take power in 1502CE

Safavid Iran (1502-1722CE)• Twelver Shi’ism

characterized by a belief in the “Hidden Imam”-Imam went into hiding in 873CE

• Safavid leaders combined religious/political authourity

• Established modern Iranian political borders

• Overthrown by Afghan tribes in 1722.

Qajari Iran (1722-1925CE)• Established modern borders

and capital moved Capital to Tehran.

• Qajaris were weak and ineffective

• Successful movement in the 1910s to establish a parliamentary constitution

• Iran was occupied in World War One by the Russians, Ottomans, and British. Very humiliating

Pahlavi Dynasty-Reza Khan (1925-1941)• Reza Khan becomes Shah

after Majlis endorces his successful coup.

• Won support by expelling British and Soviet Troops.

• Modeled his government off Porfirio Díaz-brought in political advisors from Germany due to mistrust of Brits and Russians.

• Expelled in 1941 by British and Soviet Troops for refusing to expel German nationals from the country.

Pahlavi Dynasty-Mohammad Reza (1942-1979)

• Son of Reza Khan • Continued import-substitution

industrialization• Broke Spheres of influence, but

authoritarian and corrupt• 1953 Coup and Anglo-Iranian Oil

company.• Creation of secret police, the Savak,

that cracked down on civil rights.• “White Revolution”• Video

End of Pahlavi Dynasty• He alienated the middle class by cracking down on

civil rights and stopping democratic reforms.• He alienated the poor by failing to really address

economic inequality.• He alienated the mullahs by redistributing land

away from them as a result of the White Revolution, as well as giving women more rights and making Iran more secular.

• His rapid modernization and industrialization also caused culture shock for most Iranians.

• All these factors lead to his deposition in 1979.

Ayatollah Khomeini takes power• Protestors get the Shah to flee

for his life in 1979.• Ayatollah Khomeini’s followers

are best organized so he is installed.

• Promises democratic reforms within an Islamic-state framework.

• Supreme Leader position gave him extensive powers outside democratic system.

• Instability of revolution prompts Saddam Hussein to invade.

Iraq-Iran War (1980-1989)Despite 9 years of fighting, it ended in a stalemate, and resulted in millions of deaths and environmental degradation.War allowed Khomeini to shape the new Iran into an expressly Islamic republic, and crack down on women’s rights.Khomeini dies in 1989 and then-president Ayatollah Khamenei elected Supreme leader in 1989.

Ayatollah Khamenei takes power• Continued the Islamist policy

and Islamization of predecessor.• Support dwindled in 2009 when

he endorsed the widely-believed fraudulent election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a second term.

• With the election of president Hassan Rouhani to the presidency in 2013, Iranians hope for a more moderate state.

Political Culture• Authoritarian governments that are lead by

political/religious figures.

• Legitimacy based on religion-Shiism

• European Imperialism

• Ancient Persia

Legitimacy• Velayat-e faqih (Guardianship of the Jurors)

• Shari’a

Political Socialization• Educational System-instills patriotism and

importance of Shiism

• Military conscription

• Religion

• Family subverts these