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Pahlavi Westernization in Iran took on a number of particular aspects:
Loss of Political Influence for the Clerics: A number of Pahlavi political reforms were done to increase the secularization of the Iranian States and, as a result, the Muslim clergy, which had historically had a large role in governance had their political roles minimized. In their stead, university-educated and Western-thinking individuals were given power over non-religious disciplines (such as science, technology, and education). Religious organization was sublimated to the government and only government-acceptable religion was tolerated. Islamic Laws were eliminated from the national legal codex and Western-inspired laws were placed there instead.
Western Education: Under the Pahlavi Shahs the focus of education shifted towards secular knowledge and sciences as opposed to religious education. The Pahlavis sought to echo the kind of modernization and diminishing of religiosity that similar moves in Europe had accomplished. The Pahlavis also supported Iranians who wanted to be educated in foreign countries and bring new expertise to Iran.
Western Values: The Pahlavis sought out the social values of the West and decided to implement them. These included radical de-veiling of women, valuing a person more often by his productivity than by his character and humility, and a stress on industry. The goal was to promote Western-style thinking in Iran and remove Islamic thinking, which was considered regressive and backwards.
Industrial Growth: The Pahlavis wanted to bring Iran out of third-world status and make it a strong, powerful country. In order to do this, he needed investment from the West and capital to start exportation of key Natural Resources (especially petroleum). As a result, he colluded with British interests to create the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company that was effectively a British company that paid small royalties to Iran for the pleasure of petroleum extraction on Iranian soil.
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Why were 66 Americans taken hostage by radical Iranian students in Tehran?
granting asylum to the Shah of Iran Many Iranians were frustrated with the American government because it supported the shah of Iran during the time. The Shah was a totalitarian leader, which the Iranians did not like, but he tried to westernize Iran which gained the favor of the US. As a result there was a protest outside of the American embassy in Tehran, which ended storming the embassy and taking Americans hostages. The movie Argo details some of these issues.
Where did Iran get weapons of mass destruction?
It depends on the particular weapon. Some were developed in Iran. Some came to Iran from the United States when Iran was under the Shah. Some came to Iran from the Soviet Union during the Iran-Iraq War.
What did the shah of Iran die of?
Shah Jahan died because of old age and of a deadly sickness.
Who are some influential people that were in Iran and why were they important?
the Shah because he promoted unity with the United States.
Who modernized Iran and made it fully independent?
Shah Reza Khan is the one who modernized Iran and made it fully independent. He is criticized by some of his detractors as having oppressed some ethnic groups which stunted the development of Iran.
What are some things that the obama administration has done in response to Iran's behavior?
they have stayed calm and practically tried to come to an agreement with Iran
Was the Shah of Iran a Muslim?
The Shah of Iran is a title for the Kings of Persia stretching back to antiquity, even preceding Islam. Some of the Shahs, such as those of the Parthian and Sassanid Dynasties were Zoroastrian. All Shahs of Iran after the year 800 C.E. were Muslim and All Shahs of Iran after 1550 C.E. were Shiite Muslims.
Why did Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi lose popular support despite growth in Iran's economy and standard of living?
Iran had problems with the British, and prior to the Shah so publicized in the news, Iran's royal family worked extensively with the British, and when the British left, the Shah of the 1970's worked with the Americans, hence he was seen as a traitor.
What were the some of the ways peter tired to westernize russia?
he boned your mom
Why were Fundamentalist Muslims in Iran opposed to the Shah?
The fundamentalists in Iran felt that the Shah epitomized a Western culture of greed and materialism, because he tried to establish a more secular government. As with many rulers, he accumulated vast personal wealth. He also employed various means to suppress political dissent. It was ultimately the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini who in 1979 succeeded the Shah and established an Islamic religious government.
What provoked the Iranian revolution in 1979?
The underlying causes of the revolution are described in another answer. What literally started the Iranian Revolution were popular protests against the Shah of Iran. The security forces would kill some of the protestors. In Shi'a Islam, there are traditional mourning days of 3, 7, and 40 days after deaths. The 40th day is the biggest day of mourning. Essentially, most of these mourning days would become new protests, more people would be killed, which increased the number of mourning days, which increased the number of protests, etc. Eventually, the security forces refused to fire upon their fellow Iranians and the Shah fled the country.
Where did the Ayatollah Khomeini go after being deported from Iran?
Answer 1This is incorrect, please read the book All the Shah's Men for a good understanding of how the Shah or Iran was put into power and how he was thrown out. Ayatollah Khomeini was a leader of a religious and political uprising that was cultivated by the actions of the United States fledgling CIA ie Kermit Roosevelt.Answer 2There is a supposition in this question that is partially incorrect, namely that the primary or most important people to overthrow the Shah were fundamentalist Muslims led by the Ayatollah Khomeini. This is not the case. The Iranian people, most of them traditional or secular Muslims revolted all across Iran. The Religious Fundamentalists were a minority of those Iranians who were protesting. When the Shah abdicated, there was an intent to create a Republic that represented the Iranian People. However, between April and October of 1979 (after the Shah had already departed the country and the Islamic Republic of Iran declared) the Ayatollahs were able to consolidate power and create the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran which vested the Religious Fundamentalists with political power.Iranians in general were opposed to the Shah and opposed him from nearly every political perspective. These include:Some said that the Shah was not religious enoughSome believed that the Shah's policies were too oppressiveSome believed that the Shah was modernizing without preserving Iran's cultural heritage and others were angry that he was moving too slowlySome believed that the Shah was a sellout to foreign interests and others believed his foreign focuses were too narrow.Some believed that the Shah did not grant women enough rights and others thought that women had too many rights.Some believed that the Shah should have encouraged more middle class growth and others believe he should have put more capital into industry.Some wanted more privatization and others wanted more nationalization.As concerns the specific reasons for the Iranian protests and the eventual revolution, they were numerous:Wealth & Employment Issues: Most importantly was the wealth inequality between the Shah and the nobility and common Iranian citizen. There was immense poverty throughout the country and high unemployment, underemployment, low wages, and few protections for laborers.Religious Conservatism: Most Iranians were religiously conservative (similar to the American Bible-belt as opposed to the Fundamentalists) and resisted the Shah's Westernization and Secularization movements in Iran. The Shah made clear that religion was not important to him as a ruler, whereas it was a concern among the people.Puppet to Foreigners: The Shah was also seen as a Western puppet, especially when the CIA overthrew the Iranian President Mossadegh in 1953 to re-install the Shah of Iran and considering how Iran profited very little from its own petroleum.Brutal Secret Police: The Shah had a notorious secret police called the SAVAK which harassed people and killed scores of others.Authoritarianism: Iranians wanted to be in control of their own affairs. Iranians wanted some form of self-government or democracy. The Shah was an authoritarian who prevented people from expressing their own opinions.Issue for Fundamentalists: Particularly in the fundamentalist camp, the fundamentalists in Iran felt that the Shah epitomized a Western culture of greed and materialism, because he tried to establish a more secular government. As with many rulers, he accumulated vast personal wealth. He also employed various means to suppress political dissent. It was ultimately the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini who in 1979 succeeded the Shah and established an Islamic religious government.Note: The fact that these grievances existed does not mean that the Islamic Republic of Iran afterwards "fixed" these problems.
