What Caused The Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution, was a popular uprising that transpired in 1979. This revolt was supported by a wide range of people including students and Islamist organizations. The results of this rebellion yielded in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, and the establishment of an Islamic Republic ruled by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. While many factors helped fuel the Iranian Revolution, the central reason why the Iranians overthrew the Shah was that of his abusive power.
The Shah’s loyalty to the British over the Iranian people was one element that illustrated his abuse of power. In 1939 and 1941, Germany was Iran’s leading trading partner. Yet, the Allies worried that Germany would …show more content…
use Iran as a base for military operations. As a result of the Allies pressurizing the Shah for the expulsion of all Germans in Iran, the Shah relinquishes his power to his son, Mohammed Reza. This, however, leads to Mohammed swearing allegiance to the Allies and conducting unequal trade deals, including oil, with the British and Soviets. By pledging allegiance to the Allies, the Shah ends up prioritizing the western values because he would want to be loyal and preserve the relationship between them. This results in the voice of the Iranian people valued less in the Shah’s mind because of his prioritization.
The Shah’s manipulation of Iran’s oil in affirmation towards foreign influence also demonstrated his abuse of power. In 1944, Mohammad Mossadegh, a member of the Iranian parliament, proposed a bill to postpone all new oil contracts with Britain and the Soviet Union. Mossadegh argued that western countries were manipulating Iran to accept poor deals while they were also occupying their country. This was true since Iran was only receiving 16% of the profits from the sale of their oil, and therefore was in the best interests of Iranian people for this bill to pass. For the British and Soviet interests, however, this was terrible because this would lead to establishing trade deals that would have more balance between themselves and Iran. This balancing would result in them receiving fewer profits. The Shah predicted this and did not support the bill because he still owed his position to the Allies, and believed he could strengthen his power by supporting the British. As a result of all of these events transpiring, the Iranian people slowly altered their opinion of the Shah, since the Shah did not represent what they believed in and was letting foreign countries manipulate their country into unfair deals. This angered the people, as their voices were not being represented because of his constant affirmation of foreign influence. By manipulating Iran’s oil in affirmation towards foreign influence, the Shah continued to fuel the animosity within the Iranian people.
The Shah’s selfish actions for authority and money were another example of his abusive power.
In the 1950’s, the U.S. and Soviet Union were heated up during the Cold War. The U.S. and Britain worried about the spread of communism within Iran and therefore wanted Iran to be firmly against the Soviet Union. To achieve this goal, they aimed to rid Iran of the Mossadegh government, and increase the power of the Shah, who they were conceived would do their requests for power. The Shah, who was anxious to increase his power, approved of the coup in advance. Instead of looking at the situation objectively and representing the country of Iran, the shah simply acted wherever he benefited the most. By taking down the Mossadegh government, he would be able to take steps to increase his power, but not benefit Iran overall. The shah prioritized himself and the deeds of his foreign allies over the Iranian people, which is why the people became enraged. Yet, that was not the only case where the shah greedily acted. After he formed SAVAK, a secret police organization, with the help of the U.S. and Britain, he negotiated an oil contract with Britain and the U.S. that gave Iran 50 percent of the profits. The shah, however, used most of the profits on himself, rather than the people of Iran. Instead of using the money for infrastructure, healthcare, or even education, the Shah decides to egotistically use the money on himself. As the leader of his country, he should prioritize his people and country first and his own desires last. Yet, he does the complete opposite. The Iranian people would be outraged by this fact because he consistently set aside the priorities of their country. As a result of the shah hoggish actions, the antipathy of the Iranian people only
grew.
In the end, the Shah never understood the values of the Iranian people. The Shah never represented Iran, but values alien to them. Consequently, from abusing his power consistently, the Shah failed to acknowledge what Iran stood for. The Shah simply recognized his own selfish desires and affirmations from his foreign allies. The Iranian people could not stand behind someone who violated them for so long. The people of Iran had to take a stand against the Shah and his egotistical ideologies because they were no longer being represented but manipulated.
The Shah’s loyalty to the British over the Iranian people was one element that illustrated his abuse of power. In 1939 and 1941, Germany was Iran’s leading trading partner. Yet, the Allies worried that Germany would …show more content…
use Iran as a base for military operations. As a result of the Allies pressurizing the Shah for the expulsion of all Germans in Iran, the Shah relinquishes his power to his son, Mohammed Reza. This, however, leads to Mohammed swearing allegiance to the Allies and conducting unequal trade deals, including oil, with the British and Soviets. By pledging allegiance to the Allies, the Shah ends up prioritizing the western values because he would want to be loyal and preserve the relationship between them. This results in the voice of the Iranian people valued less in the Shah’s mind because of his prioritization.
The Shah’s manipulation of Iran’s oil in affirmation towards foreign influence also demonstrated his abuse of power. In 1944, Mohammad Mossadegh, a member of the Iranian parliament, proposed a bill to postpone all new oil contracts with Britain and the Soviet Union. Mossadegh argued that western countries were manipulating Iran to accept poor deals while they were also occupying their country. This was true since Iran was only receiving 16% of the profits from the sale of their oil, and therefore was in the best interests of Iranian people for this bill to pass. For the British and Soviet interests, however, this was terrible because this would lead to establishing trade deals that would have more balance between themselves and Iran. This balancing would result in them receiving fewer profits. The Shah predicted this and did not support the bill because he still owed his position to the Allies, and believed he could strengthen his power by supporting the British. As a result of all of these events transpiring, the Iranian people slowly altered their opinion of the Shah, since the Shah did not represent what they believed in and was letting foreign countries manipulate their country into unfair deals. This angered the people, as their voices were not being represented because of his constant affirmation of foreign influence. By manipulating Iran’s oil in affirmation towards foreign influence, the Shah continued to fuel the animosity within the Iranian people.
The Shah’s selfish actions for authority and money were another example of his abusive power.
In the 1950’s, the U.S. and Soviet Union were heated up during the Cold War. The U.S. and Britain worried about the spread of communism within Iran and therefore wanted Iran to be firmly against the Soviet Union. To achieve this goal, they aimed to rid Iran of the Mossadegh government, and increase the power of the Shah, who they were conceived would do their requests for power. The Shah, who was anxious to increase his power, approved of the coup in advance. Instead of looking at the situation objectively and representing the country of Iran, the shah simply acted wherever he benefited the most. By taking down the Mossadegh government, he would be able to take steps to increase his power, but not benefit Iran overall. The shah prioritized himself and the deeds of his foreign allies over the Iranian people, which is why the people became enraged. Yet, that was not the only case where the shah greedily acted. After he formed SAVAK, a secret police organization, with the help of the U.S. and Britain, he negotiated an oil contract with Britain and the U.S. that gave Iran 50 percent of the profits. The shah, however, used most of the profits on himself, rather than the people of Iran. Instead of using the money for infrastructure, healthcare, or even education, the Shah decides to egotistically use the money on himself. As the leader of his country, he should prioritize his people and country first and his own desires last. Yet, he does the complete opposite. The Iranian people would be outraged by this fact because he consistently set aside the priorities of their country. As a result of the shah hoggish actions, the antipathy of the Iranian people only
grew.
In the end, the Shah never understood the values of the Iranian people. The Shah never represented Iran, but values alien to them. Consequently, from abusing his power consistently, the Shah failed to acknowledge what Iran stood for. The Shah simply recognized his own selfish desires and affirmations from his foreign allies. The Iranian people could not stand behind someone who violated them for so long. The people of Iran had to take a stand against the Shah and his egotistical ideologies because they were no longer being represented but manipulated.