Monarchism in Iran

Last updated
Personal Standard of Shah of Iran before 1979 Revolution, Lion and Sun Flag of Iran with Pahlavi Coat of Arms. Turquoise is the colour of monarchists. Standard of the Shahanshah of Iran.svg
Personal Standard of Shah of Iran before 1979 Revolution, Lion and Sun Flag of Iran with Pahlavi Coat of Arms. Turquoise is the colour of monarchists.

Iranian monarchism is the advocacy of restoring the monarchy in Iran, which was abolished after the 1979 Revolution.

Contents

Historical background

Iran first became a constitutional monarchy in 1906 under the Qajar dynasty, but underwent a period of autocracy during the years 19251941 during the rule of Reza Shah, who, after staging a coup d'état that led to the founding of the Pahlavi dynasty, imposed self-rule. Parliament became a rubber stamp, the press was censored and the Communist Party and trade unions banned. [1] After Reza Shah's abdication in 1941, the Iranian National Assembly was restored to power. During the years 1941 to 1953, Iran remained a constitutional monarchy and active parliamentary democracy with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi retaining extensive legal executive powers.

On March 15, 1951, the National Assembly, led by Prime Minister Hossein Ala, unanimously voted to nationalize the oil industry, which at the time was dominated by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP). In 1953, the British MI6 and American CIA orchestrated a coup against Mohammed Mossadegh's government. Agents fueled rumors that the republican-minded Mossadegh was planning on abolishing the monarchy and declaring himself president of a new Republic of Iran, leading to a pro-monarchist backlash from the public and leading to a successful result in the coup against the prime minister.

The Shah, who had gone into exile during the coup, returned to Iran and named General Fazlollah Zahedi as the new prime minister. Many contemporary sources attribute the coup, or counter coup, entirely to the U.S. American CIA (CIA Coup) and agents of the British MI6 who are reported to have organized and paid for it. [2] These sources point to many other coups in which the CIA was instrumental, such as that in Chile in 1973. Monarchists, however, argue that the counter-coup was in fact a popular uprising, and that the foreign intelligence agencies' undeniable involvement was peripheral. At least some historians argue the coup could not have taken place without both CIA organizing and Iranian support. [3] [4]

Afterwards, the era of constitutional monarchy gradually came to an end as the Shah increasingly exercised his executive powers unilaterally, thus leading towards the development of autocracy. By the early 1970s, with most political parties having been banned, Iran had effectively become a one-party state under Rastakhiz. National Front leaders like Karim Sanjabi and moderate traditional Islamic leaders like Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari continued to espouse a constitutional monarchy.

Imperial family of Iran at the coronation of Shah Mohammad Reza in 1967. Mohammad Pahlavi Coronation.jpg
Imperial family of Iran at the coronation of Shah Mohammad Reza in 1967.

Under increasing international pressure, particularly from President Jimmy Carter of the United States, the Shah pushed forward major democratic reforms in the late 1970s, designed to gradually restore the constitutional monarchy as it had originally been. However, several uprisings in 1978 and 1979 culminated in the Shah, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and had kept the fact secret, to leave the country with his family to seek treatment overseas. Within a few weeks the Shah's government had effectively collapsed and the Second Revolution had begun. The new provisional revolutionary government officially abolished the monarchy and declared Iran to be a republic. In April 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran was established, under the Supreme Leadership of Ruhollah Khomeini.

In the months following the Revolution, former Field Marshal of the Imperial Armed Forces Bahram Aryana organized a counter-revolution in exile. Based in Paris, France, with other military officials of the Imperial Armed Forces and Prince Shahriar Shafiq, he established Azadegan, a paramilitary resistance intended to help restore the constitutional monarchy. Fearing a growing counter-revolution, Prince Shahriar was assassinated in Paris in December 1979 by Khomeinist agents, which was a major setback for the monarchist resistance. Despite a number of successful operations which garnered international media attention in 1980 and 1981, the outbreak of war between Iran and Iraq officially brought any hope for counter-revolution to an end.

In the 1990s and the decade following 2000, the Shah's reputation has staged something of a revival, with many Iranians looking back on his era as a time when Iran was more prosperous [5] [6] and the government less oppressive. [7] Journalist Afshin Molavi reports even members of the uneducated poor - traditionally core supporters of the revolution that overthrew the Shah - making remarks such as 'God bless the Shah's soul, the economy was better then;' and finds that "books about the former Shah (even censored ones) sell briskly," while "books of the Rightly Guided Path sit idle." [8]

Monarchist parties

Monarchist parties and organizations are strictly prohibited by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and monarchists and their sympathizers are subject to imprisonment if discovered. However, monarchists remain active in Los Angeles and maintain links with their organizations and parties in Europe such as Azadegan, the Constitutionalist Party and Rastakhiz.

Monarchist groups such as Azadegan and Constitutionalist only advocate for the restoration of the constitutional monarchy, without necessarily endorsing the Pahlavi dynasty, the Qajar dynasty or any other Iranian royal dynasty. Rastakhiz specifically calls for the return of the House of Pahlavi to the throne, while the Kingdom Assembly of Iran is opposed to a Pahlavi restoration.

The former Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, himself does not advocate the restoration of his dynasty, instead stating that the matter is for Iranians themselves to decide in a national referendum whether or not to restore the constitutional monarchy with the restoration of the House of Pahlavi. [9]

Monarchist political parties

See also

Related Research Articles

A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch. Most often, the term royalist is applied to a supporter of a current regime or one that has been recently overthrown to form a republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammad Mosaddegh</span> Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953

Mohammad Mosaddegh was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 35th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, after appointment by the 16th Majlis. He was a member of the Iranian parliament from 1923, and served through a contentious 1952 election into the 17th Iranian Majlis, until his government was overthrown in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état aided by the intelligence agencies of the United Kingdom (MI6) and the United States (CIA), led by Kermit Roosevelt Jr. His National Front was suppressed from the 1954 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 Iranian coup d'état</span> Coup to depose the elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddegh

The 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup d'état, was the U.S.- and British-instigated, Iranian army-led overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in favor of strengthening the monarchical rule of the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, on 19 August 1953. It was aided by the United States and the United Kingdom. The Shi'a clergy also played a considerable role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran</span> Last crown prince of Iran (born 1960)

Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran is the oldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and his wife Farah Diba. Before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, he was the crown prince and the last heir apparent to the throne of the Imperial State of Iran. Today, Pahlavi resides in Great Falls, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fazlollah Zahedi</span> Iranian politician (1892–1963)

Fazlollah Zahedi was an Iranian lieutenant general and statesman who replaced the Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh through a coup d'état supported by the United States and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Iran</span> Former political post in Iran

The prime minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution before being abolished in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tudeh Party of Iran</span> Iranian communist party

The Tudeh Party of Iran is an Iranian communist party. Formed in 1941, with Soleiman Mirza Eskandari as its head, it had considerable influence in its early years and played an important role during Mohammad Mosaddegh's campaign to nationalize the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and his term as prime minister. Tudeh became a pro-Soviet organization after the Iran crisis of 1946 and was prepared to carry out the dictates of the Kremlin, even if it meant sacrificing Iranian political independence and sovereignty. The crackdown that followed the 1953 coup against Mosaddegh is said to have "destroyed" the party, although a remnant persisted. The party still exists but has remained much weaker as a result of its banning in Iran and mass arrests by the Islamic Republic in 1982, as well as the executions of political prisoners in 1988. Tudeh identified itself as the historical offshoot of the Communist Party of Persia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Front (Iran)</span> Opposition political party in Iran

The National Front of Iran is an opposition political organization in Iran, founded by Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1949. It is the oldest and arguably the largest pro-democracy group operating inside Iran despite having never been able to recover the prominence it had in the early 1950s.

<i>All the Shahs Men</i>

All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror is a book written by American journalist Stephen Kinzer. The book discusses the 1953 Iranian coup d'état backed by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in which Mohammed Mossadegh, Iran's democratically elected prime minister, was overthrown by Islamists supported by American and British agents and royalists loyal to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hossein Fatemi</span> Iranian politician (1917–1954)

Hossein Fatemi was an Iranian scholar. A close associate of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, he proposed nationalization of Iranian oil and gas assets. Initially a journalist, he served as minister of foreign affairs from 1951 to 1953. After the 1953 coup d'état toppled the government of Mosaddegh, Fatemi was arrested, tortured, and convicted by a military court of "treason against the Shah", and executed by a firing squad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assadollah Rashidian</span>

Assadollah Rashidian was an Iranian businessman and anglophile who, along with his brothers, played a critical role in the 1953 overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. He was a principal covert agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and through him the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was able to convince the Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, to endorse the operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasan Arfa</span> Iranian general

Hasan Arfa was an Iranian general and ambassador to the Pahlavi dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Iranian Revolution</span>

This article is a timeline of events relevant to the Islamic Revolution in Iran. For earlier events refer to Pahlavi dynasty and for later ones refer to History of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This article doesn't include the reasons of the events and further information is available in Islamic revolution of Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammad Reza Pahlavi</span> Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, commonly referred to in the Western world as Mohammad Reza Shah, was the last Iranian monarch. He began ruling the Imperial State of Iran after succeeding his father Reza Shah in 1941 and remained in power until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, which abolished the country's monarchy and established the present-day Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. Owing to his recognition and status as Iran's final monarch, he is usually called the Shah. In 1967, he took up the title Shahanshah and held several others, including Aryamehr and Bozorg Arteshtaran.

1921 Persian coup d'état, known in Iran as 3 Esfand 1299 coup d'état, refers to several major events in Qajar Persia in 1921, which eventually led to the deposition of the Qajar dynasty and the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty as the ruling house of the country in 1925.

A referendum on the dissolution of Parliament, the first referendum ever held in Iran, was held in August 1953. The dissolution was approved by more than 99% of voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azadegan Organization</span> Iranian monarchist organisation

The Azadegan Organization was an Iranian monarchist organisation which sought to restore the Pahlavi dynasty following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The group, founded by General Bahram Aryana, was described as the most prominent of the "fundamentalist monarchist" groups following the Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahmoud Afshartous</span>

Mahmoud Afshartous, also written Afshartoos, was an Iranian general and chief of police during the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. Afshartous was abducted and killed by anti-Mossadegh conspirators led by MI6 which helped pave the way for the 1953 coup d'état.

Azadeh Shafiq was an Iranian royal and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty, being daughter of Ashraf Pahlavi. Following the Iranian revolution that toppled her uncle, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, she exiled in Paris and involved in opposition activities to the Islamic regime in Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pahlavi Iran</span> Country in Western Asia (1925–1979)

Pahlavi Iran, officially the Imperial State of Persia until 1935 and the Imperial State of Iran thereafter, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty. The dynasty was formed in 1925 and lasted until 1979, when the Pahlavis were overthrown as a result of the Islamic Revolution, which abolished Iran's continuous monarchy and established the present-day Islamic Republic of Iran.

References

  1. Townson, Duncan, The New Penguin Dictionary of Modern History 1789-1945 (Second Edition), Penguin, 2001, p. 459
  2. Kinzer, Stephen, All the Shah's Men : An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, Stephen Kinzer, John Wiley and Sons, 2003, p.5, 6, 210
  3. Keddie, Nikki R., Roots of Revolution, Yale University Press, 1981, p.140
  4. Kinzer, Stephen, All the Shah's Men : An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, Stephen Kinzer, John Wiley and Sons, 2003, p.211
  5. Molavi, Afshin, The Soul of Iran, Norton (2005), p.74
  6. Iran Report 2 February 2004
  7. Sciolino, Elaine, Persian Mirrors, Touchstone, (2000), p.239, 244
  8. Molavi, Afshin, The Soul of Iran, Norton (2005), p.74, 10
  9. Reza Pahlavi's Next Revolution: Successor Story, The New Republic, Franklin Foer, Thursday, January 3rd, 2002 Archived 2007-02-21 at the Wayback Machine