1. Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21 st Century Author: Christian Caryl Date: 2013 Prologue: History has a way of playing tricks. As events unfold around us, we interpret what we see through the prism of precedent, and then are amazed when it turns out our actions never play out the same way twice. We speak confidently about “lessons of the past” as if the messy cosmos of human affairs could be reduced to the order of a classroom. 1

2. Prologue: The Great Backlash … Continued Rarely has the past proven a more deceptive guide to the future than at the end of the eighth decade of the twentieth century. If you take certain pleasure in seeing the experts confounded and the pundits dismayed, then 1979 is sure to hold your interest. In January of that year, the shah of Iran got on a plane and left his country, never to return. He had been on the throne for thirty- seven years. He was toppled by a wave of rebellion that brought millions of protesters onto the streets of Iranian cities. The crowds they formed were some of the biggest humankind has ever witnessed, before or since. Yet just a few years, well- informed observers had been hailing Iran as a miracle of modernization and praising the shah for the brilliance of his economic reforms. His hold over Iranian society was deemed unshakable … 2

3. Prologue: The Great Backlash … Continued … after all, he presided over one of the world’s biggest armies, not to mention a brutally effective secret police. But now his subjects were taking to the streets, declaring their eagerness to die for the cause of an elderly Shiite legal scholar living in Parisian exile. (Caryl, ix) http://christiancaryl.co m/ After watching the book trailer for Christian Caryl’s Strange Rebels can you define his thesis ? 3

4. Strange Rebels Book Trailer 4

5. Thesis? These five stories – rich in event and grand personalities – would be worth telling themselves. But do they really have that much to do with each other? Surely, Britain’s first female prime minister has nothing in common with Iranian Shiism’s leading militant cleric. And what could possibly unite the bishop of Rome, the budding Islamists of Afghanistan, and the leader of the Chinese Communist Party? The fact that they lived through the same historical inflection point, one might argue, does not mean their stories are linked. Coincidence does not mean correlation. In fact, though, they have much more in common than at first meets the eye. The forces unleashed in 1979 marked the beginning of the end of the great socialist utopias that had dominated so much of the twentieth century. These five stories … deflected the course of history in a radically new direction. It was in 1979 that the twin forces of markets and religion, discounted for so long, came back with a vengeance.(Caryl, xiv) 5

6. Thesis? The decisions of these leaders decisively defined the world in which we live – one in which communist and socialist thought has faded, markets dominate economic thinking, and politicized religion looms large. Like it or not, we of the twenty-first century still live in the shadow of 1979. (Caryl, xv) In this course we will focusing on three case studies – Ayatollah Khomeini, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II. 6

7. 7 The Iranian Revolution: Case Study #1 The Great Backlash 1979

8. Post War Politics: Oil The discovery of oil in the early 20th century generated international interest in the nation, particularly Great Britain and Russia. A 1907 Anglo-Russian agreement divided up Iran into spheres of influence, though it was later annulled after the First World War The United States became increasingly interested in Iran following the Second World War, particularly its oil reserves In 1953, the U.S. and Britain helped orchestrate a coup d'etat to oust Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq because he nationalized the British-controlled oil industry two years earlier. He gained immense popularity among Iranians and was democratically elected by parliament, but the U.S. and Britain wanted to return the pro-Western monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, back to power 8

9. 9 The Shah After the fall of Mossadeq, the Americans and British agreed on a more equitable sharing of revenues from the sale of Iranian oil In the years that followed, Iran forged closer ties with Washington, receiving large amounts of military and economic aid from America until the late 1960s. Iran began ramping up its defence budget, and with the help of American and British defence programs, it became one of the region's strongest military powers.

10. The White Revolution In 1963, the Shah had started a grand reform scheme called the “White Revolution.” He knew his country urgently needed modernization, but it had to happen without endangering his rule. In practice, many of his positive reforms – literacy campaigns, nationalization of forests, the awarding of company shares to workers, suffrage for women – were undermined by corruption, nepotism and bad planning The centerpiece of the White Revolution was a land reform plan that broke up many of the big inherited landholdings and parceled them out to former tenant farmers 10

11. Controversy? The White Revolution remains a source of huge controversy even today. Its supporters say that it essentially succeeded in its aim of breaking down some of the structural barriers that held Iran back and creating a base for modern economic development. Its critics – including many of those who hold power in today’s Islamic Republic – say that its reforms were primarily cosmetic and delivered on few of its promises. What is indisputable about the White Revolution is that it left hardly any aspect of political or economic life in the country untouched. It shook the social landscape. Traditional land holding families gave up farming and moved into finance and manufacturing, spurring industrialization. Peasants who received their own land aspired to new, middle class lives. And millions of other rural Iranians began to head to cities … Urbanization which utterly transformed the face of the twentieth century, was off to a roaring start in Iran. The impending oil boom would turbocharge it. (Caryl, 43) 11

12. The White Revolution Accomplishments -excellent education system (almost as many men as women) – expanding literacy -development of industries (health care, car factories, hydropower dams) -the most powerful military in the Middle East -viewed by many countries as a model of successful authoritarian development -astounding economic growth rates (9-10% from 1963-1973) Failures -migrants brought to cities for work lived in shanty-towns (p.45) -traditional elites were undermined by rapid economic change (p.44) -educational opportunities expanded, but there were no jobs for graduates -Shiite religious establishment were losing control of their institutions – schools, courts, traditional laws regarding women (White Revolution deemed “un-Islamic”) 12

13. 13 Opposition to the Shah Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini— Shiite legal scholar who was the most outspoken and prominent opposition voice to the Shah The Ayatollah promised economic reform and a return to traditional religious values – he was particularly outraged by the Shah’s dependence on the U.S. and closeness to Israel Urged a boycott of the referendum on the Shah’s modernization plan, Khomeini was arrested which triggered three days of rioting, and in 1964 he was deported

14. 14 Unrest In 1971, oil revenues hit $885 million. In 1975, they reached $17.8 billion. Iranian growth went up by 42%, but inflation shot up. The economy overheated In the late 1970s, numerous large and violent protests occurred General strikes added to the instability

15. 15 The Road to Revolution Khomeini spent more than 14 years in exile. Initially he was sent to Turkey. Then, after less than a year, he was allowed to move to Iraq. By 1978, discontent with the Shah was becoming intense and Khomeini moved to France where he furthered revolutionary fervour (The Imam, p. 83, 91)

16. 16 The Departure of the Shah January 1979-Shah leaves Tehran for an “extended vacation,” never to return. Khomeini supporters tear down his statues throughout Iran Khomeini told reporters “The departure is not the final victory. It is the preface to our victory. I am congratulating the brave people of Iran for this victory.”

17. 17 The Shah’s Regent Prime Minister Shahpur Bakhtiar appointed by Shah to run the country – he was a moderate who believed this was the last hope for deflecting a full- fledged revolution He amnestied political prisoners, abolished SAVAK (the secret police) and eliminated censorship Khomeini arrived back in Iran against the orders of Bakhtiar –the crowds that lined the roads numbered in the millions

18. 18 Khomeini Returns From Exile Ayatollah Khomeini returns on Feb. 1, 1979 Instability increases Street battles break out between Khomeini demonstrators, police, security forces, and the Shah’s supporters

19. 19 The Revolution Feb. 11, 1979, tanks move through Tehran Rumors of a military coup flew, but army did not make its move Revolutionaries broke into the leading radio station of Tehran and broadcast “This is the voice of the revolution of the Iranian people!”

20. 20 Revolutionary Era Begins Bakhtiar resigns Ayatollah Khomeini wins national referendum by a landslide (Caryl, p.151) Khomeini declares Iran an Islamic republic Khomeini appointed Iran’s political and religious leader for life