Political History of Iran In Iran after World War I, a military commander, Reza Pahlevi, took poweras Shah. Shah is a Persian word that means king.

Political History of Iran

• In Iran after World War I, a military commander, Reza Pahlevi, took poweras Shah.

• Shah is a Persian word that means king.

Modernization of Iran

• Iran is an oil-rich nation.

• The Shah used his oil wealth to modernize his nation.

• He allowed women to vote and hold jobs

• He built big cities, and created a more secular or non-religious society

• His reforms did not take root among the population in general, only among the rich.

• The Shah was very unpopular with many Iranians.

• Iran is a very traditional Muslim nation

• Many of the Iranian people were displeased with the changes the Shah imposed upon them.

• The result was the creation of a wealthy westernized class

• that was divided from the general population, which retained closer ties to traditional culture and Islam.

Modernization of Iran

Iranian Unrest• By the 1970s, many people in Iran began to oppose

the shah's mixture of Westernization and harsh rule.

• In 1978 mass demonstrations broke out and were put down with much loss of life.

• In 1979, Iran underwent a religious revolution against the westernized leadership of the nation; Islamic religious leaders objected to reforms that they felt threatened the country's traditional values.

Iranian Revolution

•One of these religious leaders, the Ayatollah Khomeini, who had been thrown out of the country years before for protesting against the Shah.

•From outside Iran, Khomeini led a revolution against the shah.

•The shah fled the country in 1979.

Iranian Revolution Cont.• Khomeini returned to Iran and quickly established an

Islamic Republic.

• He declared himself both political and religious leader of Iran for life– thus establishing a theocracy, one which remains in power

today.

• The new government killed hundreds of people for political and religious reasons.

• Conservative Muslim codes were rigorously enforced, and Western influences were banned.

In November of 1979, supporters of the revolution seized the United States Embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans as hostages, holding most of them for more than a year. This was a protest against U.S. involvement in the Iranian Government.

The Iraq-Iran War

• This was a war between a Saddam Hussein led Iraq vs. Ayatollah Khomeini’s Iranian Army.

• Iraq invaded Iran in 1980 over a border dispute of the Shatt Al-'Arab river and fear by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein.

• He feared that religious propaganda from Iran’s religious revolution could lead to a religious revolt in Iraq, as well.

• Also Saddam believed that Iran was weak following its revolution.

Donald Rumsfeld and Suddam Hussein

Iraq’s War Techniques

• During the Iraq-Iran War, neither country followed the usual rules of war.

• Iraq used chemical weapons against Iranian forces and against Iraqi Kurds whom Iraq claimed were helping the Iranians.

• No country had used such weapons on a large scale since World War I.

Iran’s War Techniques

• Iran sent young village boys through minefields ahead of its troops.

• Many of the boys set off the land mines, giving up their lives so that the troops behind would have a clearer path.

End of War• The war ended in a ceasefire in 1988.

• Eventually Iran and Iraq agreed to share control of the Shatt Al-'Arab river.

• The Iraq-Iran war ended with no real change of territory, but the war did lead to a great growth of Iraq’s armed forces, which were helped by support from the United States during the conflict.

• (Remember that Iran was our enemy during this time – they held our embassy people hostage for over a year following their revolution.)

Current Leadership• The current President of Iran,

Hasan Rouhani, has called for:– the destruction of Israel – and the continuation of a

nuclear program in Iran.

• Rouhani argues that a nuclear program would allow– Iran to produce electricity

• But most nations believe Iran’s nuclear program is for weapons, not energy.

• Recently a secret underground nuclear facility there has been discovered, in addition to the ones we already know about.

• Former Iranian Presidents have denied the Holocaust happened

• Keep in mind that Iran’s real power is held by the Ayatollah, or Supreme Leader and the Guardian Council, not the elected President.

• As all candidates for President must be allowed to run, by the Supreme Leader and the Council.

Current Situation

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/iran_power/html/president.stm