— Ch. 1 · Imperial Backdrop And Colonial Grievances —
Iranian Revolution.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
In 1953, a CIA- and MI6-backed coup d'état overthrew Iran's Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. This event reinstated Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as an absolute monarch and significantly increased United States influence over the nation. The Shah had nationalized the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1952, which angered British leaders who imposed a crushing embargo. Mosaddegh was removed from power and put under house arrest while Lieutenant General Fazlollah Zahedi became the new Prime Minister. American firms gained considerable control over Iranian oil production, with US companies taking around 40 percent of the profits. Politically, Iran acted as a counterweight to the Soviet Union and aligned closely with the Western Bloc. The US provided the Shah both the funds and the training for SAVAK, Iran's infamous secret police. By the late 1970s, popular resistance to the Shah's rule had reached a breaking point. The regime was seen as oppressive, brutal, corrupt, and lavish by many sectors of society. It also suffered from basic functional failures that brought economic bottlenecks, shortages, and inflation. The Shah was perceived by many as beholden to non-Muslim Western powers whose culture affected that of Iran.
Rise Of The Clergy And Khomeini
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini first rose to political prominence in 1963 when he led opposition to the Shah and his White Revolution. He declared the Shah a wretched man who embarked on the path toward destruction of Islam in Iran. Three days of major riots followed, with 15,000 dead from police fire according to opposition sources. Khomeini was released after eight months of house arrest and continued his agitation. In November 1964, he was re-arrested and sent into exile where he remained for 15 years. Most of this time was spent in Najaf, Iraq, until the revolution began. Away from public view, Khomeini developed the ideology of velayat-e faqih or guardianship of the jurist. This idea spread through his book Islamic Government, mosque sermons, and smuggled cassette speeches among students and traditional businessmen. Khomeini preached that revolt and martyrdom against injustice were part of Shia Islam. He inspired the revolutionary slogan Neither East nor West , Islamic Republic. His network included ex-students such as Morteza Motahhari, Mohammad Beheshti, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.