Iran

Qajar Dynasty

Major Iranian dynasty that encouraged limited European-style reforms but remained politically weak and allowed foreign interference.

Anglo-Persian/Iranian Oil Company (APOC → BP)

British-controlled oil company that took most profits from Iranian oil; symbol of foreign exploitation and a driver of nationalism.

National Front Government (Mossadegh)

Government that empowered the Majlis, raised taxes on the rich, lowered taxes on peasants, and nationalized Iran's oil.

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi

Authoritarian, pro-Western last Shah who ruled through centralization, repression, and oil wealth; overthrown in 1979.

Farah Shahbanu Pahlavi

Wife of the Shah; idealistic supporter of modernization, known from the documentary The Queen & I.

Rentier (Absolutist) State

State funded by oil rents rather than taxes; enables authoritarian rule and weak accountability.

White Revolution

Top-down modernization reforms including land reform, women's suffrage, education, and industrial expansion; increased inequality and fueled opposition.

SAVAK

The Shah's secret police, notorious for surveillance, torture, and repression; dissolved after the 1979 Revolution.

Twelver Shia Islam

Largest Shia branch believing in 12 Imams, with the final Imam hidden until his return; central to Iranian identity.

Ulama

Shia religious scholars who oversaw law, education, and community life; mobilized mass support during the revolution.

Orthodox Clergy

Mainstream clergy who avoided politics and generally tolerated the monarchy.

Fundamentalist Clergy

Clerics who believed religious leaders should rule society and condemned the monarchy as un-Islamic.

Modernist Muslims

Clerics and laypeople advocating reconciliation between Islam and modernity; called for democracy; alienated by the White Revolution.

Bazaaris

Traditional merchant class with strong economic networks; supported the revolution financially and socially.

Tudeh Party (Party of the Masses)

Communist party advocating workers' rights and land reform; influential during the revolution but later banned.

Black Friday (1978)

Army fired on protestors unaware of martial law, killing dozens; turning point that destroyed the Shah's legitimacy.

Jimmy Carter

U.S. President who pressured the Shah on human rights and struggled with the U.S.-Iran Hostage Crisis.

U.S.-Iran Hostage Crisis

Event in which Iranian students seized the U.S. embassy and held 66 Americans hostage for over a year.

Ayatollah Khomeini

Religious leader who led the 1979 Revolution and established the Islamic Republic with authoritarian religious rule.

Islamic Revolutionary Council

Shadow government during the revolution that issued laws and guided the transition to the Islamic Republic.

Provisional Revolutionary Government

Temporary post-Shah government that lacked real power compared to clerical institutions.

Islamic Republic Party (1979)

Party created to consolidate the new Islamic Republic, eliminate rivals, and write the new constitution.

Constitution of the Islamic Republic (1979)

Theocratic-republic hybrid constitution with elections but supreme authority given to religious leadership.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

Military force created to protect the revolution; powerful political and economic actor.

SAVAMA

Post-revolution intelligence agency replacing SAVAK; tracked opponents and consolidated Islamic Republic control.

Iran-Iraq War (1980-88)

Brutal war initiated by Iraq; involved chemical weapons and devastated both economies and societies.

Freedom Movement of Iran (Mahsa Amini Protests)

Modern uprising for women's rights and civil liberties triggered by Mahsa Amini's death.