5: Revolution: Theories and Practices
The Iranian Revolution of 1979 is an ongoing subject for debate among scholars and analysts around the world. It stands as one of the more remarkable world events in the period since the end of the Second World War. It achieved its goals through the use of what, for George Sorel, is the essence of myth: an abrupt break with the recent past that is achieved only by means of ‘expressions of a will to act’ (Sorel, 2005: 28). The main achievements of the Revolution abolished the monarchical rule of the Pahlavi dynasty to set up the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a modern constitution and parliament that also operates within an explicitly theological framework.
Compared with other modern uprisings and revolutions, such as those in Russia and China, the Iranian Revolution was notable for the role played in it by religion and religious leaders. In the 1970s, observers ranging from Western social scientists to Iranian government intelligence sources were primarily united in their belief that the Shah’s regime was relatively strong and its opposition forces fragmented. Many scholars believed that there was little likelihood of any instability sufficient to threaten the Shah’s regime. This analysis was based on the existence of improved economic conditions, a strong modern state machinery and political stability, especially compared to the period before the Second World War. As events unfolded in the late 1970s, it became possible for commentators to foresee the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, but very few expected to see Islamists at the forefront of the uprising, let alone to witness the establishment of a state with religious leaders at its core.
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