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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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9y ago

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