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Weekly Online LessonOnline Lesson ArchiveGrade Level: 10-12
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Reform in Iran
Preliminary
results in Iran's landmark election on February 18, 2000, indicate a decisive
victory for reform party candidates in many areas of the country. As of
Sunday night, reformists had won 137 of the 290 seats in the Majlis (parliament),
easily eclipsing their conservatives rivals, who won only 44 seats.
The vote is seen as a clear endorsement of moderate President Mohammed Khatami, and is likely to strengthen the president’s hand in pushing social, cultural and political reforms. Since taking office in 1997, Khatami has advocated dismantling many restrictions imposed by the 21-year-old Islamic order.
Iranians
have come to expect major changes in the society since Khatami began widening
individual freedoms, freeing the press and reducing the clergy’s interference
in the government, the judiciary and people’s lives. The overwhelming
reform vote in the Majlis is a clear mandate for change. But the new moderate
parliament still faces domination by other government bodies that remain
in the hands of hard-liners.
The conservative Guardians Council must approve all legislation passed by parliament, and Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has final say in all matters. Conservatives also control the judiciary and other key institutions including radio and television stations and the armed forces.
Clearly Friday's vote does not mark the end of the Islamic Revolution that began in 1979, but it may signal the beginning of the end. In this week's online lesson you will better understand the significance of the vote in the context of Iranian political history.
The Pahlavi Dynasty
The
story of twentieth-century Iranian politics begins with the rule of the
two shahs or kings. Read a synopsis of the Pahlavi
Dynasty at Compton's Encyclopedia Online. The article explains
how the shah's corrupt and oppressive government ended in 1979 when the
royal family was forced to leave the country. Another view paints Mohammad
Reza Pahlavi as the Architect
of Modern Iran. This page is conspicuously propagandistic, but
it expresses one point of view with factual, albeit one-sided information.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
Despite
the shah's many reforms and efforts to modernize Iran, his corrupt and
oppressive government was overthrown by Islamic fundamentalists led by
the Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini. The goal of the Islamic fundamentalists was
to establish a theocracy based on Islamic law. On April 1, 1979, the new
Islamic Republic of Iran is established with Khomeini named as Iran's
political and religious leader for life. Read more about the Ayatollah
from TIME
100 Leaders and Revolutionaries.
The Islamic Revolution
For
an overview of the Islamic Revolution, browse to Iran's
Tortured Path, and MSNBC Interactive Timeline. Choose a link on
the left to trace key events of Iran's 80-year political past. For an
in-depth treatment of the specific events of the revolution, read the
Story
of the Revolution, a four-part series from the BBC World Service.
Each part is comprised of eyewitness accounts from individuals at the
center of the revolution. Read each of the four parts in order, clicking
on the "read in English" links to read the transcripts of the
interviews. You can view a kind of photo-journal of the revolution to
complement your study at The
Iranian: 1979 Revolution site. Photos after 1978 are listed on
the right, highlighted in yellow.
The Iranian Revolution at 20
Twenty
years after the Islamic revolution, with an overwhelming vote for reform,
Iran is at a crossroads. Iranians have suffered war, political instability,
and economic hardship. It's too early to tell what impact the elections
will have on the future of Iran. Read the essay by C. Raja Mohan entitled
"The
Iranian Revolution at 20" in which he reflects on the effects
of the revolution and speculates on the future of Iran. After reading
Mohan's assessment of the Islamic revolution and the reformation efforts
of Khatami, do you believe Khatami will succeed in reaching a reconciliation
between Islam and democracy, or do you believe the hard-line Islamic establishment
will keep reformation in check? Learn more about Khatami at the official
site of the Presidency
of the Republic of Iran.
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Learners Online, Inc.