1. East vs. West The Iran Revolution
Patten & Valdner
Global History II
Mepham High School

2. Iran

3. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi Iran
Iranian nationalist who attempted to modernize and westernize Iran.
Allows capitalism
Developed Iran’s oil industry
Repressed civil rights.
Supported by US

4. A Divided Iran Upper Classes Wealthy Urban Westernized Secular
Minority of the population
Lower Classes
Poor
Rural
Traditional
Very Religious
Majority of the population

5. Ayatollah Khomeini Iran
Fundamentalist cleric he led the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Under his leadership America was known as “the great satan”.

6. Fundamentalist
A fundamentalist is a believer in traditional religious beliefs. Often fundamentalists oppose modern reforms in favor of returning to traditional beliefs.

7. Ayatollah Khomeini Overthrows the Shah
Religious man who wants Iran to be a religious state (Islamic Fundamentalist)
Leads the Iranian Revolution
Iran becomes a strict Muslim state

8. The Iranian Revolution 1979
Causes
Shah Pahlavi was westernizing Iran
Religious people were unhappy
Khomeini will gain support of the Islamic Fundamentalists

9. American Hostages

11. The Iranian Revolution 1979
Effects
Khomeini takes power in 1979
The Shah flees Iran; helped by U.S.A.
53 Americans are taken hostage at the US embassy until 1981

14. The Iranian Revolution 1979
Effects
Iran becomes a theocracy
Iran becomes a strict Muslim State; laws in Iran are based in the Koran (Quran)
Women lost all rights and privileges. Government bans western books.

15. Conflict between Modernization & Tradition