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…
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
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…
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