Iran (Persian: ایران Irān [ʔiːˈɾɒːn] (About this sound listen)), also known as Persia[10] (/ˈpɜːrʒə/),[11] officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ایران Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān (About this sound listen)),[12] is a sovereign state in Western Asia.[13][14] With about 81 million inhabitants,[6] Iran is the world's 18th-most-populous country.[15] Comprising a land area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), it is the second-largest country in the Middle East and the 17th-largest in the world. Iran is bordered to the northwest by Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan,[a] and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan; to the north by the Caspian Sea; to the northeast by Turkmenistan; to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan; to the …show more content…
The rise of the Safavids in the 15th century led to the reestablishment of a unified Iranian state and national identity,[4] which followed the country's conversion to Shia Islam, marking a turning point in Iranian and Muslim history.[5][23] By the 18th century, under Nader Shah, Iran briefly possessed what was arguably the most powerful empire at the time.[24] The 19th-century conflicts with the Russian Empire led to significant territorial losses.[25][26] Popular unrest culminated in the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, which established a constitutional monarchy and the country's first legislature. Following a coup instigated by the United Kingdom and the United States in 1953, Iran gradually became closely aligned with the West, and grew increasingly autocratic.[27] Growing dissent against foreign influence and political repression led to the 1979 Revolution, which followed the establishment of an Islamic republic,[28] a political system which includes elements of a parliamentary democracy vetted and supervised by a theocracy governed by an autocratic "Supreme Leader".[29] During the 1980s, the country was engaged in a war with Iraq, which lasted for almost nine years and resulted in a high number of casualties and financial loss for both sides.
According to international observers, the current Iranian regime (led by Ali Khamenei since 1989) is oppressive, with human rights
Iran(former Persia) is a country located in the middle-east. However, it's not an ARAB country and the people speak persian(farsi) NOT arabic. They are well known for being rich, educated, and good looking. They are also famous for their cats and hand-made rugs.
Various factors influenced the 1979 Iranian revolution, but at the core of this significant event was Islamic fundamentalism. The Iranian religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, led this movement to end the thirty-seven-year reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, also known as the Shah of Iran (Diller 1991, p.152). The revolution was a combination of mounting social, economic, political and religious strains. The nation of Iran was never colonized, unlike some of its bordering countries, making its people intolerant of external influences. The Shah had gradually westernized and secularized his country, creating a strong American presence that was being felt
The Iranian Revolution was an uprising by the common people of Iran who were upset about the doings of their Shah and his government. The Shah’s treatment of his own people can be characterized as unjust and cruel. After all, he severely limited the rights of groups whom he felt threatened his power to rule. He opposed the political rights of religious Shiite groups, which especially enraged Iranians, and led to the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini. The Ayatollah was a religious leader who would overthrow the Shah and establish a proper Islamic State in the nation. Ever since, the so called Islamic Revolution has raised concern over the dangers that Iran may pose to the Western world. Nevertheless, the Iranian Revolution was a progressive movement that reflected the major concerns of Iranians towards corruption in government, all with the intention of removing injustices and enforcing rightful liberties and common needs.
The Iranian revolution of 1978-1979 was a popular uprising in 1978-79 that resulted in the overthrow of the monarch (Shah Palvahi) on April 1, 1979. This led to the establishment of the Islamic republic. It was amazing how the ruling Shah government quickly fell. Before the fall of the Iranian government, the American President (Carter) praised the Iranian government. Many people now know that the CIA put the Shah’s family in power in 1953, overthrowing a popular elected leader.
As mentioned above, Iran was called Persia until 1935. In 1979, it became an Islamic Republic after the revolution. Monarchy was also abolished during this time. Rewinding back to 550 BC, Iranian empires were ruling locations such as Egypt, the Mediterranean and some places in Europe. In AD 633, the Zoroastrian religion was replaced by Islam after the Arabs arrived. Bringing it back to how they run the place now legally, it is based off of sacred law, which is called Islamic law. This just means they follow a sacred text to live their lives. They follow the shari’a law which is “the body of rules of conduct revealed by God (Allah) to his prophet(Muhammad) where people are directed to live their life
Iran is a country with majority of its population being Shia Muslims, it is a splinter branch of Islam where it is believed that only Muhammad’s descendants can lead the faithful. Muslim clergy plays political roles in Shia countries, even though Shia Muslims are a small segment (about 15%) of the entire Muslim population, since 1501 most Iranians identify as Shia Muslims. This is one way they differentiate themselves from the
Over the last 70 years Iran has experienced many periods of severe political turmoil. The two most notorious periods of turmoil are the revolutions of 1953 and 1977. Both of these revolutions were heavily influenced by corporate interests, albeit in different ways. The 1953 revolution was a coup d’état arranged by the CIA in order to prevent the president from nationalizing the oil fields. This was done to protect corporate oil interests. The 1977 revolution was a reaction to the oppressive policies of the government that was put in place by the prior revolution. The government favored liberal economic policies that deregulated corporate activities, and these polices led to widespread abuse of the civilian population at the hands of the Iranian Government and foreign corporations. The events and results of these revolutions had significant effects on Iranian outlook towards western states and ideas. After the second revolution a starkly religious government had taken power, and this new regime had a strong anti-western sentiment. This sentiment developed as a reaction to the rule of the Shah, because the Shah was seen as a symbol of oppressive western power by the new regime.
The Iranian Revolution in 1979 was the events leading to the overthrow of the unfit leader Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. The Shah came to power during World War II and became the last monarch in the House of Pahlavi. While ruling, he introduced policies like the White Revolution, which were political and economical reforms that claimed to be beneficial and grant women's suffrage, nationalization of some industries, and a way to make Iran a global power. But the Shah lost support first from the Shi’a muslims and the working class because of his strict ways in things like modernization and secularization. The Shah then lost all support and was overthrown on January 7th, 1979 and after, the monarchy was abolished leading to the Islamic Republic.
Iran had been ruled by Shahs, which were essentially absolute monarchies for countless years. The Pahlavi dynasty was the latest family to hold the throne. Of course, Shahs weren’t the only powerful figures in Iranian society. Iranians are a people who are firmly embedded in their religion and traditions. And Shia clerics are the respected leaders of the religious aspects of Iranian life. Looking back into the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is evident that the Shahs and Clerics often were at odds with one another.
Iran’s political and social landscape completely shifted in 1979 when the Islamic Revolution toppled the monarchy that was in power. It was decided that Iran would now be a republic built on Islamic principles and ideals, thus marginalizing the leftist nationalist party that had helped the religious right protest against the Shah’s rule in 1978 and 1979. “The new constitution created a religious government based on [Ayatollah] Khomeini’s vision of velāyat-e faqīh
Iranians deeply value their social and cultural traditions. The Persian revolution formed the basis through which the country evolved and foundation upon which its empires were established. The Islamic regime practiced by the country formed the basis through which the country’s sophisticated institutions were built. Shah seemed to champion for secularization and westernization (Axworthy,
Formally known as Persia, Iran’s military history spans back to the time period before Christ existed. Through thousands of years of regime changes, in more modern times, Iran has adopted a two headed military system. These two factions are the Artesh and the Sepah (more commonly known as Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC]). The Artesh is the national defense force or the conventional army of Iran. The Artesh protect the borders and carry out other internal responsibilities while the IRGC serves as the offensive entity. The Artesh has more soldiers than the IRGC, but the IRGC is the face and strength of Iran. The birth of the IRGC was a result of the Iranian Revolution of 1979. The ability of the IRGC to not only stand up as an Army, but to essentially eradicate the Iraqi presence from Iran to end the 8 year Iraq-Iran War legitimizes its existence even to this day.
The Iranian revolution was an ideological affair. With different visions for the future of Iran, the revolutionaries were united for toppling the monarchy, which they had substantially. All the visions of these revolutionary, however, were colored by ideology. Ayatollah Khomeini was the leader of that Iranian revolution against the shah. Khomeini marched with Shi’ite (Shiyah) Ideology to denounce the Shahs and created a negative impression among the Iranian People against the Shah’s regime. The Shi’ite Ideologies were based on Islamic shariah, The Iranian culture was based on Islamic culture with an increasing influence of western culture and the shah’s regime was friendly with the western culture & policies and mostly against the Shi’ite & Islamic fundamentalism. The second difference was, shi’ite (shiyah) ideology doesn’t support the monarchy or imperialism in Islamic countries, the Iranian culture in that time were divided in their ideology in between shi’ite (Shiyah) and shahs, and the shah’s regime was totally a monarchy and supported by the US and western policy makers. This difference was also mostly liable for the Iranian revolution. The third and last variation was, the Shi’ite (Shiyah) ideologies tends to follow the shariyah,
Iran, known as Persia until 1935, became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was driven out by a widespread revolution. Also known as the Islamic Republic of Iran, it borders the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea, and is located between Iraq and Pakistan. It also shares borders with Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. Iran is roughly 1,648,195 square feet, the eighteenth largest country in the world with a population size of 82,801,633. It is governed as a theocratic republic, which is their legal system based on Islamic law. The judiciary system of Iran follows some aspects of Sharia law, but is also mixed with civil law that is authorized and overseen by Parliament. Alongside Parliament is their president, Hassan Ruhani, who has held office since August 2013, however; the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is at the very top of Iran’s configuration of power. Khamenei controls Iran’s domestic and foreign policies, serves as commander in chief of their armed forces, and directs the republic’s intelligence and security operations. Iran’s economy is characterized by its reliance on oil and gasoline exports. Their Gross National Income is 1.209 trillion per capita (PPP). Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, and copper are some of their largest natural resources and their biggest export is petroleum (80%) to China, India, Turkey, and Japan. Industrial supplies, capital goods, and technical services from the UAE, China,
No independent political activity has been allowed by the government, many opponents are jailed, tortured and killed. There can, consequently, be no doubt that Iran is a dictatorship. (Halliday, 1979, p65)