Formation of the Iranian Government

Before Islam Iran’s history goes back more than 2,500 years There has been an independent state called Persia or Iran in the region since that time Foundations of current politics and religion stretch back as far

Ancient Rule Ancient rulers, such as Cyrus the Great, Darius, and Xerxes, depended on Zoroastrian philosophies as part of their rule This philosophy stated rulers could not rule by force alone

Foreign Control Alexander the Great occupies Persepolis in 332 BCE The Parthians, an Aryan tribe (where the term Iran derives), settled the region and established rule for 400 years In 208, the Parthians gave way to the Sassanians VISITORVISITOR

The Arrival of Islam After receiving a crippling blow by the Byzantines, the Arabs delivered the knockout punch to the Sassanian dynasty The Arabs brought Islam with them and diminished the rule of kings

In 1219, the Mongols invaded and destroyed intellectual centers They returned 40 years later and made Persia an independent Mongol kingdom Timerlane, who didn’t consider himself a Mongol, invaded in 1394 These invasions established a fear of outside forces that exists today.

The return of Persia In 1501, the Safavid took control of the city of Tabriz and declared their leader shah They fought off repeated invasions of the Ottoman Turks They turned to Shi’ite Islam to distinguish themselves from the Turks and Arabs

The Safavid Dynasty, followed by the Qajar Dynasty, would rule for the next 400 years Their kings would emphasize the authoritarianism of their rule combined with Shi’ite beliefs in “faith and obedience to the country” Unlike previous Persian kings, however, their rule did not produce growth

Since the kings could not live up to the Shi’ite expectation of just rule coupled with charismatic leadership, by the start of the 20 th Century, the people had had enough. The weakness of the dynasty was further shown by the growing influence of Russia and Britain within the country

The Constitutional Revolution In 1896, the aging shah assassinated This started a series of protests which called for higher legal status for Islam, economic reform, codified law, and a stronger state The protests reached a climax in 1906 when the new shah agreed to a constitutional monarchy The new parliament, the majlis, would last until 1911 before being dissolved by the shah Persia would fall into tribal warfare and Russian and British control until 1921

How does Iran become a theocracy?