The Role of Structural Contexts of the Pahlavi Government and Shiite Political Islam in the Formation of the Iran Revolution in 1979

Abstract

The present paper with an analytical-descriptive method is based on the theory of the collective behavior of Smelser in response to the question of how the Pahlavi government's structural background influenced the formation of the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran. Before the Islamic Revolution, Iran, like other societies, was composed a set of structures. The actions of the Pahlavi discourse triggered the stressors within these structures and eventually created gaps and conflicts in them. In such circumstances, a kind of structural unbalance arose. As a result, it put pressure on social forces and made the situation unjust, inefficient, and retarded in the public’s view. These social forces were disintegrated and social groupings emerged, which created a volatile situation and, consequently, favorable conditions for collective movement in society. In this regard, ideas were formed that sought change and justice in Iran. Shiite political Islam was more effective than any other public belief and with the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini and with the accelerating factors towards the revolution; it provided the conditions for revolutionary developments in Iran and ultimately led to the formation of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.