1. The Islamic cultural/Iranian revolution
Goal: to explore how the Islamic Cultural Revolution of affected Iran politically, socially, and economically.

2. Background knowledge/brainstorm
Define the concept “revolution.”
Come up with as many examples of revolutions as you can remember.
Why do you think revolutions occur?

3. Key terms:
Theocracy – a form of government in which God is recognized as the supreme civil ruler and God’s laws are interpreted by spiritual authorities or scholars (like priests).
SAVAK – the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service established by Iran’s Reza Shah with the help of the USA’s CIA.
Reza Shah – The Shah of Iran from , who maintained a pro-western foreign policy and fostered economic development in Iran.
Ayatollah Khomeini – founder and supreme religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979.

4. Islamic Revolution
BBC Video – Islamic Revolution (10 minutes) LkSDfjwZhApqG6PA6DawEqUi0QynS-v78

5. Write down these answers on your notes handout:
What was the Shah’s mission for Iran?
What were the factors that led to the Shah’s removal from power?
How was the Shah removed from power? Why was he removed? Why was his removal significant in the modern world?
How was life before the Revolution? After?
What complications or tensions exist/existed between the US (the West) and Iran?

6. Copies of all of these documents are on the class website.
Read/view the following articles to help you answer the questions you copied down earlier.
Iran: An Overview
Iranian Revolution of
Life in Iran
Copies of all of these documents are on the class website.
Please do not take class copies home!