The 1979 islamic revolution in iran has proved one of the most consequential events in the history of modern terrorism. A rare look inside iran, 40 years after the islamic revolution. This article is to explain the policies that have been undertaken by government of iran in foreign affairs since islamic revolution 1979. If the 1979 nicaraguan revolution and sandinista regime were of limited consequence for world politics in the grand scheme of things, the iranian revolution and islamic republic. The army consisted of three armored divisions, three infantry divi sions, and four independent brigades. This seismic shift in regional politics caught irans arab neighbours by surprise. The islamic revolution in iran studies in middle eastern history arjomand, said amir on. Irans islamic revolution after the overthrow of the shah, an american ally became one of its biggest adversaries. Iran under the shah 8 the islamic revolution and iran under ayatollah khomeini, 1979 1989 8 president rafsanjani and the era of reconstruction, 1989 1997 9 president khatami and the reform movement, 1997 2005 10 2 politics 15 2. Islamic revolution simple english wikipedia, the free. One area that has come under scrutiny is the way women dress and wear their hair the old shah, in the 1930s. Iranian revolutions in comparative perspective oxford academic. Islamic republic, the theocracy of ayatollah ruhollah khomeini 19011989.
A pledge to exporting the revolution is enshrined in irans constitution. Newspaper article by foucault originally published in october 1978. Islamic revolution appears to bear little ideological resemblance to revolutions in the west or to irans constitutional revolution of 190511. The iranian revolution, past, present and future iran chamber.
A brief history of iranpakistan preislamic revolution relations. Religious elements of the 1979 islamic revolution september 30, 20 this case study investigates the social, economic, and political dynamics of 1970s iran that led the iranian people to accept, and then maintain, religion as the basis of a new political system after deposing mohammad reza shah pahlavi in 1979. Contemporary events since 911, the war on terror, and the arab uprisings have made foucaults essays on the iranian revolution. Ruhollah khomeini ruhollah khomeini centre greeting supporters after returning to tehran, february 1979. Iranian historyayatollah khomeini and the islamic revolution.
This paper intends to explore the role and key contributions that ayatollah ruhollah played in the iranian revolution. Take a look at the barriers to exporting the islamic revolution in the middle east reza abedi gonabad1, ebrahim fayaz2 and ahmad naderi3 1phd student, department of cultural policy making, imam reza international university, mashhad, iran, 2associate professor, department of. Less noticed, but equally significant, the revolution provoked a response by saudi arabia and various sunni militant groups that set the stage for the rise. The 1979 revolution, which brought together iranians across many different social groups, has its roots in irans long history. A brief history of iranpakistan preislamic revolution. Mojahedin of the islamic revolution organization wikipedia. The present history of international relations between the united states and iran formerly known as persia and presently recognized as the islamic republic of iran is strain fully unfriendly and adversarial.
The shah, irans ruler for nearly four decades, had fled the country. An arab perspective on irans islamic revolution the iranian. The national holiday, islamic revolution day, celebrates the victory of the islamic revolution on february 11, 1979. Causes and consequences for regional stability leicester university dissertation.
Iran and israel steven simon israel and iran have interacted since israels birth in 1948. Pdf foreign policy of iran after islamic revolution. The 1979 revolution was a characteristically iranian revolution a revolution by the whole society against the state in which various ideologies were represented, the most dominant being those with islamic tendencies islamist, marxist islamic and democratic islamic and marxistleninist tendencies fadai, tudeh, maoist, trotskyist, and. The islamic revolution and iran under ayatollah khomeini, 1979 1989. From the appendix to foucault and the iranian revolution. Iran marks the 40th anniversary on monday of the popular uprising that led to the fall of the monarchy and the establishment of the islamic republic in 1979, when the. The islamic revolution occurred in 1979, in the muslim majority country of iran. By overthrowing the monarch shah, revising the presiding political worldview and ideology and introducing huge changes to iranian society and foreign policy, the islamic revolution of 1979 altered the course of the countrys history. The revolution led to a surge in iranianbacked terrorism that continues, albeit in quite different forms, to this day. Holy warriors of the islamic revolution was an umbrella political organization in iran, founded in 1979 by unification of seven underground islamist revolutionary paramilitary and civil organizations which. Irans 1979 revolution is one of the most important events of the late twentieth. Based on the scholarly literature, the study argues that it was only ruhollah.
Many arab states, particularly in the gulf, saw the revolution as a threat just because the us saw it that way. Iranian women after the islamic revolution dr ansia khaz ali more than thirty years have passed since the triumph of the islamic revolution in iran, yet there remain a number of questions and ambiguities about the way the islamic republic and its laws deal with. Although principles underlined in constitution of iran. Irans foreign affairs in this period are addressed only to the extent that they played important roles in domestic power contests. Islamic republic of irans strategic culture and national. This tradition has left deep marks on the long course of iranian. Key points for the first two to three decades after the 1979 islamic revolution, the iranianled axis of resistance was little more than rhetoric, ascribing greater unity of effort to an. Islamic republic of irans strategic culture and national security analysis. The iranians have just accomplished a remarkable revolution in which a most powerful.
Iranian revolution, also called islamic revolution, persian enqelabe eslami, popular uprising in iran in 197879 that resulted in the toppling of the monarchy on february 11, 1979, and led to the establishment of an islamic republic. The constitution of the islamic republic of iran is a declaration of the social, cultural, political, and economic foundations of the iranian society based on islamic principles and norms that re. Power and paradox in the islamic republic emergence of the islamic republic. In the modern era, iran always has existed as an independent country. Khomeinis theory of islamic state and the making of the. The iranian revolution kent as the islamic revolution or 1979 revolution an aw. The public remarks of iranian leaders indicate that tehran has been consistently committed to spreading its ideology beyond irans borders since 1979. Exporting the radical ideology of the islamic revolution. The iranian revolution also known as the islamic revolution, persian. The essence of the great islamic revolution of iran, and the course of the struggle of the muslim.
The islamic revolution in iran sage journals sage publications. The islamic republic of iran iri has a strategic culture that is a confluence of and contestation between history, ideology, religion and modernity. This is a clip from a documentary titled crisis in iran by the history channel with mike wallace. Iran islamic republic ofs constitution of 1979 with. This scholarly dissection of the islamic revolution in iran is mostly concerned with its domestic issues. Guardians of the islamic revolution deep blue university of. Heres a brief history of the iranian revolution of 1979, in which islamic clerics overthrew shah pahlavi and established the islamic republic of iran. Foucault in irancenters not only on the significance of the great thinkers writings on the revolution but also on the profound mark the event left on his later lectures on ethics, spirituality, and fearless speech. We have to take a look at the historical elements that lead up to the iranian revolution of 1979. Iran and the islamic revolution shaul bakhash snippet view 1986. Ideology and irans revolution institute for global change.
Islamist revolutionaries opposed the western secular policies of the authoritarian shah of iran mohammed reza pahlavi supporters of ayatollah khomeini organized protests in opposition to the authoritarian government of the shah. The iranian revolution past, present and future brought the safavids into direct conflict with the ottoman empire and led to two centuries of intermittent warfare between those two powerful states. The constitution of the islamic republic of iran sets forth the cultural, social, political and economic institutions of the people of iran, based on islamic principles and rules, and. Iranian women before and after the islamic revolution. One year after the fall of the shah, irans leaders appear more determined than ever to export their. Ideology, politics, and the development of military power in iran 19792009 by. Iran is as committed to exporting the islamic revolution today as it was in 1979. Relations between the two countries were relatively close until the 1979 revolution. When pakistan gained independence in 1947, iran was the first country in the world to internationally recognize pakistan as a sovereign nation and shah of iran was the first head of state of any country who. How iranand the world around ithave changed in the four decades since a revolutionary theocracy took power. Iran and the islamic revolution watson institute brown university.
Mazdaks revolutionary movement is one of the most inspiring class struggles in the history of iran. Its challenge to the west the ideological engine powering the iranian regimes race for regional supremacy is among the more misunderstood and ignored aspects of irans political and military activity in. Iran celebrated the 40th anniversary of its islamic revolution. By looking at the historical, domestic, international, and socioeconomic factors related to. Although ideology has played a role, their respective regional strategic interests have largely shaped their relationship. The iranian revolution of february 1979 middle east. Take a look at the barriers to exporting the islamic. The number of casualties suffered by protesters and revolutionaries at the hands of the shahs monarchy during the revolution is either close to 60,000, or around 2,000, depending on whether the estimates used are those of islamic government or from historians in western countries. The islamic revolution of 1979 brought seismic changes to iran, not least for women.
He was appointed to the council of the islamic revolution in 1979, and between 1979 and 1981 he was a member of the majlis, serving as deputy minister of defense, commander of the revolutionary guard, and representative on the supreme council of defense. The overthrow of mohammad reza shah in 1979 and the subsequent emergence of the islamic. In revolutionary iran, michael axworthy guides us through recent iranian history from shortly before the 1979 islamic revolution through the summer of 2009, when iranians poured into the streets of tehran by the hundreds of thousands, demanding free, democratic government. The safavid dynasty ruled iran until 1722, when an afghan army invaded the country and captured isfahan. The iranian revolution and its legacy of terrorism lawfare. Republic of iran shook the middle east and reshaped global. The islamic republic of iran was born, shaking the region and humiliating the united states and israel.