The Unthinkable Revolution in IranThe shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, would remain on the throne for the foreseeable future: This was the firm conclusion of a top-secret CIA analysis issued in October 1978. One hundred days later the shah--despite his massive military, fearsome security police, and superpower support was overthrown by a popular and largely peaceful revolution. But the CIA was not alone in its myopia, as Charles Kurzman reveals in this penetrating work; Iranians themselves, except for a tiny minority, considered a revolution inconceivable until it actually occurred. Revisiting the circumstances surrounding the fall of the shah, Kurzman offers rare insight into the nature and evolution of the Iranian revolution and into the ultimate unpredictability of protest movements in general. As one Iranian recalls, The future was up in the air. Through interviews and eyewitness accounts, declassified security documents and underground pamphlets, Kurzman documents the overwhelming sense of confusion that gripped pre-revolutionary Iran, and that characterizes major protest movements. His book provides a striking picture of the chaotic conditions under which Iranians acted, participating in protest only when they expected others to do so too, the process approaching critical mass in unforeseen and unforeseeable ways. Only when large numbers of Iranians began to think the unthinkable, in the words of the U.S. ambassador, did revolutionary expectations become a self-fulfilling prophecy. A corrective to 20-20 hindsight, this book reveals shortcomings of analyses that make the Iranian revolution or any major protest movement seem inevitable in retrospect. |
Avis des internautes - Rédiger un commentaire
The unthinkable revolution in Iran
Avis d'utilisateur - Not Available - Book VerdictThe Iranian revolution not only transformed the country's sociopolitical structures; it rewrote the geopolitical map of the Middle East. In many respects, the trajectory of events that culminated in ... Consulter l'avis complet
Table des matières
Introduction | |
The Emergence of Protest Political Explanations 1977 | 10 |
Mobilization of the Mosque Network Organizational Explanations EARLY 1978 | 31 |
Shii Appeals Cultural Explanations MID1978 | 48 |
General Strike Economic Explanations FALL 1978 | 75 |
Failure of the Fist Military Explanations WINTER 19781979 | 103 |
A Viable Movement AntiExplanation WINTER 19781979 | 123 |
Conclusion | 161 |
About the Sources | 173 |
Notes | 185 |
References | 237 |
279 | |
Index | 281 |
Autres éditions - Tout afficher
The Unthinkable Revolution in Iran Charles KURZMAN,Assistant Professor of Sociology Charles Kurzman Affichage d'extraits - 2004 |
Expressions et termes fréquents
according activism activists appear Asnad-e August Ayatollah Bank began called Carter cause cities Collection continued crowd cultural December demonstrations document early economic Engelab-e Eslami evidence example explanations fall fear February followers forces Hamaseh-ye industrial International interviewed Iran Iranian Revolution Isfahan Islamic Islamists January June Khabar-Nameh Khomeini killed late later leaders letter liberal lives March martyrs meeting military mobilization Mohammad months mosque mourning movement Muslims National Security Archive Nehzat-e noted November observers October officials opposition organized Pahlavi participate percent plans police political Press pronouncement protest published quoted regime religious scholars reported Respondent revolutionary SAVAK SAVAK memorandum seminary September shah shah's Shirkhani social soldiers sources streets strike suggest Tabriz Tehran thousand tion told turned U.S. embassy United University wanted workers York