HIST362 Study Guide

Unit 9: Revolution and Religion: The Islamic Republic of Iran

9a. Provide a concise historical narrative of the Iranian Revolution

  • What were the primary causes of the Iranian Revolution in 1979? Describe its political aftermath.
  • Define the Ottoman Empire.
  • Describe the role of some key figures of the Iranian Revolution: Reza Shah Pahlavi (Shah from 1925–1941, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Shah from 1941-1979), Ayatollah Khomeini (leader from 1979–1989), and Ali Akbar Rafsanjani (leader from 1989–1997).
  • What immediate triggers precipitated the outbreak of the Revolution?
  • In what ways did western commercial interests and the Shah's efforts to modernize the economy become a factor in Iran's revolution? 

The Iranian Revolution took place in Iran from 1978–1979. As with the other revolutions we have studied, a coalition of revolutionaries organized to challenge the authoritarian rule of a strong monarch. The ulama, or clergy, objected to western influences on Iranian society, which had been a part of Iranian politics as far back as British commercial interests in the 19th century. In Iran, students, intellectuals, and workers demonstrated against the secular authoritarian rule of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who they criticized for using Iran's natural resources unfairly, for prioritizing the interests of Western powers, and for torturing all dissidents. The Shah was exiled in 1979.

In the Iranian revolution, religion played a central role. The religious leaders of Iran appointed Ayatollah Khomeini as the supreme religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Under Khomeini's authority, numerous secular groups were persecuted and another authoritarian regime was instituted. 

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9b. Identify the most important groups who participated in the revolution and analyze their ideological and political goals

  • Describe the difference between Shi'a Islam (also Shi'ite Islam or Shi'ism) and Sunni Islam (or Sunnism).
  • Define the role of the religious clergy (Ulama), local landowners, and the Baazaris (the merchant class) in the Qajar Dynasty (1796–1925).
  • Define the Eight Major Islamic Tendencies.
  • How did tensions among Iranian social groups contribute to the eruption of the revolution?
  • In what ways is pre-revolutionary Iran in the 1970s similar to France in the late 1700s and in the early 1900s? What are some important differences? Do you think Iran is now going through a period of thermidor?

While Sunni Muslims dominate most of the Islamic world, Shi'a Muslims are in the majority in Iran. In many places the two religious groups live peacefully side-by-side, but conflict has erupted into violence in others. In Iran, Sunni Muslims do not recognize the Ayatollah as their primary religious leader.

The Iranian Revolution, unlike the other revolutions we have studied, did not occur during a time of financial crisis or include a major rebellion by the underclass or peasantry, although there was a small Marxist group of rebels. Of the religious-political groups who opposed the Shah, one side preferred to use legal methods, while the other emphasized the cultural difference between the rule of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the teachings of Islam.

Many Iranians believed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was corrupt, pro-western, and directed by the United States. However, many Iranians reacted against the Shah's attempts to modernize the country, unlike those who lived in post-revolutionary France, Mexico, Russia, and China (although many didn't have a choice in the matter). The Shah was attempting to consolidate power as the Ulama, local landowners, and Baazaris struggled among each other for local power. Emphasis on expanding human rights, which dominated the Western revolutions, was not a major factor in the Iranian Revolution.

Review Class Analysis of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 by Satya Gabriel and The Iranian Revolution Part I, World Revolutions by Thomas O'Brien.


9c. Analyze the role played by religious ideas, practices, and institutions in the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath

  • Describe the differences in Islamic beliefs and practices that played a role in the Iranian Revolution.
  • Why does Islam discourage the development of a dominant national identity?
  • Why did most people in Iran reject secular nationalism?
  • What is the fundamental difference between Shi'a and Sunni Islam concerning the role of religious leaders and government?

Ayatollah Khomeini argued that Iran should be governed by Sharia law and Shi'a Islam principles. Although he established the concept of trias politica (an executive, legislative and judiciary), Khomeini, presided over these branches of government as Iran's religious leader. The institutional structure of the Islamic Republic of Iran included the president, the assembly of experts, the Majlis (parliament), the Council of Guardians, the Expediency Council, the Supreme Court and the Clerical Court.

Shi'a Islam teaches that religious leaders should play a major role in the government structure. Since the Imam Mahdi, or direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad, had not yet returned from hiding as prohesized, Khomeini argued that high ranking clerics should run the government.

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9d. Critically evaluate how Iranian women were affected by the Revolution and its aftermath, and what roles they played in the revolutionary events

  • Explain Khomeini's thoughts about the role of women in relation to men?
  • What are their rights according to Khomeini?

Ayatollah Khomeini believed that a woman's primary role in society is to produce a large family and serve as its primary caregiver. He argued that the laws which many considered to be restrictions actually elevated the status of women. According to Khomeini, women who followed his version of Shi'a Islam would be protected from becoming the "playthings" of men. He believed that men and women should follow different laws because they are inherently different, a belief that did not constitute discrimination.

During the first organized mass demonstrations of the revolution, women wore chadors as a sign of protest because Reza Shah Pahlavi (the Shah's father) had banished women from wearing the hijab in 1928. Khomeini praised women in his speeches: "The Revolution transformed Iranian society and women were the pioneers of this transformation" (Khomeini, 1980). While there are still significant restrictions on women's behavior in Iran, many defend these restrictions as protecting women.

Review pages 29–35 of The Form of Islamic Government and pages 33–37 of The Position of Women by Ayatullah Ruhallah Khomeini.


Unit 9 Vocabulary

  • Ali Akbar Rafsanjani
  • Ayatollah Khomeini
  • Baazaris
  • Eight Major Islamic Tendencies
  • Iranian revolution
  • Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
  • Ottoman empire
  • Qajar dynasty
  • Reza Shah Pahlavi
  • Shi'a Islam (Shi'ite Islam or Shi'ism)
  • Sunni Islam (Sunnism)
  • The Shah
  • Ulama