Political Development of Iran

by

Huss Banai

Introduction

It is quite rare for a country to have experimented with two fundamentally different forms of government in the span of a century, but rarer still for one to have undergone four or five significant political transformations. But such has precisely been the trajectory of Iran’s political development over the course of the past century, from the advent of constitutionalism in 1906–1911 to the absolutist rule of Pahlavi monarchs to the brief period of parliamentary democracy under the premiership of Mohammad Mossadeq to the Islamic revolution in 1979 to the emergence in the last ten years both of the reform movement and the Green Movement. During each of these periods, Iranian society and politics underwent significant transformations that were often imposed from above. These changes were also compounded by the fact that Iran has historically occupied an important geopolitical position in international politics, a pawn in, and an irritant to, the great powers at the heart of the oil-rich Middle East. The diverse sources compiled below explore different dimensions of Iran’s political development over the past century. All of the sources are in English and most are works by highly respected scholars of Iran both inside and outside of the country.

General Overviews

Many general overviews and historical guides of Iran as a country and as an ancient civilization are available, but not many are solely devoted to the political development of Iran. The following selections showcase the most respected and widely cited works dealing with the political history of Iran. The Cambridge History of Iran series (Avery, et al. 1968–1991) along with Frye 1984 and Katouzian 2009 together offer a highly readable survey of Persian culture and politics across two and a half millennia of history. Momen 1987 offers an excellent introduction to Shiʽi Islam, the comprehensive doctrine professed by a great majority of Iranians, while Amir Arjomand 1984 elaborates on the intricate linkages between religion and politics in Iran. A good overview of modern political developments in Iran is Keddie 2006, which traces the origins of the 1979 revolution through the complex history of the 19th and 20th centuries in Iran. Banani 1978 features a series of authoritative essays by prominent Iranian scholars concerned with the state-society dichotomy, an excellent sociological starting point for understanding modern Iranian politics. Lastly, the account in Mottahedeh 1985 of the intricate linkages among religion, tradition, and politics in postrevolutionary Iran is a wonderful narrative of some of the most interesting and vexing dynamics and contradictions in modern Iranian society.

• Amir Arjomand, Said. The Shadow of God and the Hidden Imam: Religion, Political Order, and Societal Change in Iran from the Beginning to 1890. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984.

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  Reissued in 2010, this volume offers a comprehensive sociological and historical study of Shiʽism and politics of premodern Iran, with the aim of revealing the ideological foundations of the Islamic Republic.

• Avery, Peter, J. A. Boyle, W. B. Fisher, et al., eds. The Cambridge History of Iran. Vols. 1–7. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1968–1991.

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  The definitive reference guide to Iran’s history, culture, politics, and economy, from the Medes to the Islamic Republic.

• Banani, Amin, ed. Special Issue: State and Society in Iran. Iranian Studies 11 (1978).

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  A collection of scholarly reflections on the state-society divide in Iranian political history. Includes essays on religion, ethnicity, dynastic politics, economic relations, and tribal relations.

• Frye, Richard N. The History of Ancient Iran. Munich: C. H. Beck, 1984.

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  Spanning a millennium and a half of ancient Persian history, this book offers an excellent introduction to the cultural and political lineages of Iranians.

• Katouzian, Homa. The Persians: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Iran. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009.

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  Provides a sweeping narrative account of Iran’s cultural and political development from ancient times to today, from a distinctly Iranian (as opposed to European) perspective.

• Keddie, Nikki R. Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006.

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  An authoritative account of 20th-century Iranian politics as it culminated in the Islamic revolution in 1979. Also a great examination of the role of religion in society from the 1800s to today.

• Momen, Moojan. An Introduction to Shiʽi Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shiʽism. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1987.

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  A helpful introductory guide to Twelver Shiʽism, the comprehensive religious doctrine of the majority of Iranians.

• Mottahedeh, Roy. The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran. New York: Pantheon, 1985.

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  An insightful look at the everyday interplay of politics, culture, and religion in Iran, as told through the life of a young cleric.