The Pahlavi era was renowned as particularly important in the history of Iran because of its modernization efforts, as Shah felt it necessary for political and social advances. It was Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi who shaped modern Iran. This article will discuss a historical event in Iran known as the White Revolution, an initiative set forth by the last Shah in 1963.
Prior to the launch of the White Revolution, there was a lot of criticism going on against the Shah government and its pro-western approach. Thus, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi organised a referendum under which six initiatives were submitted for a national vote in February 1963. There was only one question for the people, “do you support the program of reforms?”. They were given the option of either a white voting paper (indicating their support) or a blue ballot paper (against the program) because many poor Iranians were illiterate. The polling was overseen by Savak, Shah’s security service. According to official data 99 per cent of voters supported the program. The referendum thus paved the way for Shah’s extensive program of reforms which he called the “White Revolution”. The basic idea behind naming it the “white revolution” was to keep it a bloodless revolution as opposed to the red revolution.
Consequently, January 1963 saw the introduction of a six-point program that was eventually expanded to 19 points. Number one, land reforms to quote “Abolish Feudalism”. In the 1950s, the majority of the agricultural land in Iran was under the control of about 150 families. One landowner controlled a Switzerland-sized region. The Shah aimed to topple this outdated system of authority, which had endured for more than 2,500 years in one form or another, and to grant the peasantry access to the land. The second was the nationalization of forests and pasture lands. Third, privatization of state-owned companies. Fourth, extending the right to vote to women. Strengthening the role of women in Iranian society was an integral part of the white revolution. Iranian women grasp this opportunity to make public use of the newly acquired rights and the associated self-confidence The Fifth was about sharing profit with industrial workers through increments. Finally, Literacy Corps was formed to tackle illiteracy and educate the population.
The objective of the White Revolution was to modernise Iran’s economy and elevate its status as a significant political power in the world. The Shah leverages foreign investment to develop the country’s technological capabilities and made a huge investment to establish Iran’s nuclear program. In addition to this, as part of the White revolution, the Shah demolished the parliament which had become the real power in the 1950s and often was in opposition to the monarch. The Shah justified this action by declaring that the interest of the nation overrides all other considerations and that his course was supported by the entire nation.
In his efforts to advance Iran, the Shah was strongly supported by the West. However, Shah’s motivations were obviously not entirely benign. He had political aspirations for these measures as well. First and foremost, he hoped that the peasantry will be indebted to him for rescuing them from the bonds of feudalism and from brutal and exploitative landowners and therefore support him as a new patriotic leader. Second, he wanted to break the old powerbase of aristocratic families which largely belonged to the clergy class. Third, he wanted to please the emerging educated professional class.
Growing Discontent Among People
Initially, the White Revolution was successful with respect to the country’s economic and educational sectors. However, many argue that Iran’s flourishing economy was not a result of the White revolution, but rather a result of a massive inflow of oil revenue in Iran. Nonetheless, the overall result of the revolution was not as anticipated by the Shah. He attempted to modernise Iran but did actually nothing to alter the country’s deeply flawed and ineffective political system. They remain traditionally monarchist and tailored to the Shah. On the other hand, for the lower classes, economic conditions remained challenging. The officials became richer while the general population struggled and remained in poverty which eventually become the source of dissatisfaction and unrest in the country. Unemployment was rising at an unprecedented rate. The execution of the white revolution became more challenging for the rural population than anticipated. Although the farmers now had their own fields to work in, they frequently lack modern farming machinery, water, and seeds.
The Shah doesn’t realize the consequences of his policies and how many enemies he creates for himself with them. Tehran, the capital of Iran, in particular with its modern high-rise buildings become the symbol of his belief in progress but many people can’t keep up with Shah’s pace. Therefore, they turn to an institution which is familiar to them and which gives them security in their insecurity, that is a religious institution. The Shah’s appeals to ‘universal’ and ‘rational’ norms were seen as inextricably western and meant very little to traditionally-minded Iranians to whom the message from the clergy seemed to resonate a lot more.
There was also opposition from the clergy against the reforms, particularly land reform and the new role of women. They objected because they perceived this as an attack on matters of religion.
Emergence of Ayatollah Khomeini
In 1963, the Shah engaged in a ferocious confrontation with renowned Shia scholar, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini was displeased with Shah’s decision to grant women the right to vote as well as the widespread adoption of European culture among them. He was also critical of land reforms due to the fact they would redistribute the land owned by Shia institutions. Finally, Khomeini criticised the Shah himself as the political puppet driven by the USA and Israel.
Ayatollah Khomeini was imprisoned and deported by the Shah in June 1963 as a result of his opposition to women’s liberation and land reforms, which sparked protests that were brutally put down by Shah’s secret service, Savak. Under Shah’s modern Iran, there was no place for freedom of expression and dissent. With the Shah increasingly engaging in censorship and authoritarian measures to put down his opponents, he lost the support of both the educated middle class and the peasantry.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s quest for total power caused him to lose touch with reality. Government officials lost their ability to perceive the big picture and were figuratively blind. The Shah continued on his chosen path and declared the Loyal Rastakhiz Party to be the only legitimate political party in Iran in 1975. Rastakhiz controlled every seat in the parliament’s two chambers, making it Shah’s obedient decision-maker. The Shah broke the Iranian constitution in this fashion.
Iran consequently found itself in a state of unrest and chaos in the 1970s. Ayatollah Khomeini, who was living in exile at that time, saw this as an opportunity to propagate his cultural nationalism and speak against the repressive regime of the Shah. In the midst of such an environment, the Shah published an article in January 1978 criticising the Khomeini which sparked protests in the country. The protests started off small but escalated after government police and army personnel started shooting at them and killing some of them. The White Revolution, which was supposed to be bloodless, turned into bloodshed in the country. This episode was the final nail in the coffin and marked the onset of the 1979 Islamic revolution and the end of monarchy in Iran.
Fate of White Revolution
It would not be wrong to assert that the White Revolution was a monumental program, however, it was not suited for Iranian society. The Shah’s motivation to modernize Iran came from the necessity of his time whether anyone liked it or not. Despite Shah’s claims, it fell short of meeting people’s needs and expectations and made the nation’s political and economic situation precarious. The Shah sought to deepen Iranian-American relations through White Revolution but in the process, he had to face strong criticism from the clergy on the grounds of the western nature of the programs. However, it is important to note that modernization is to a large extent westernization. You cannot modernize without westernizing. In addition to this, his autocratic rule would cost him a gradual loss of connection with the people of his nation. On the other hand, Ayatollah Khomeini consolidated popular support by appealing to the religion and fundamental aspirations of the Iranian people for a government that represented their interests. In this way, the White Revolution provided the inception of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the downfall of the Pahlavi regime.
By: Heena Parveen
