The year 1979 was very harsh and life-changing for the history of Iran. This event caused the fall of the country’s monarchy. It was affected by social and economic pressures, with the root cause being predominantly nationalistic. The revolution would later be known as the aftermath of civil unrest. The revolution resulted from the influence of political Islam and nationalism that emerged in its wake.
One of the pressures leading up to this event was the public’s attitude toward the Shah. The politician’s rise to power marked a substantial rise in authoritarianism as he praised monarchism and Shahism. This damaged his image and led to a backlash among the urban working class and intellectuals. His rise to power led to a worsening of Iran’s economy. Budgets were not directed to the regions and experienced difficulties with education and jobs (Goldschmidt & Davidson, 2010; Abrahamian, 2018). These two factors would eventually draw attention to the devastating effects of Shah’s rule on the country.
Given the substantial rise in opposition and the desire to address the atrocities that took place due to the politician’s reign, it is rational to state that the main reason was nationalism. The Shah’s rule became similar to fascism, and Iranians gradually lost their national identity (Abrahamian, 2018). Since nationality was not recognized culturally by the state, riots and massacres became inevitable. In addition, the Shah suppressed free elections and took away Iranians’ votes and identity. The mass character of assassinations and detentions led to an accumulation of national anger.
In conclusion, the social and economic pressures tied to the Iranian revolution were civil unrest and unchanged poor conditions in rural areas. The event’s root cause was predominantly nationalistic because the people were deprived of their national identity. Finally, the legacy of the revolution is its emphasis on the societal backlash that has built up over the past decades and cases of civil unrest.
References
Abrahamian, Ervand, 2018. A History of Modern Iran, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press.
Goldschmidt, Arthur, and Laurence Davidson, 2010. A Concise History of the Middle East, 9th ed. Westview Press.