Power is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Power can be manifested in a variety of different ways, and can easily be abused. In Ryszard Kapuscinski’s book Shah of Shahs the topic of power and modernization has a key element within the context of the book itself. The author tells a story of how the last Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, attempted to change Iran in a western fashion, but failed to do so due to his unpopular dictation of Iran. The Shah’s attempt to modernize Iran came with controversy, as it led to the scrutiny of a number of things from his lack of Islamic values, to his unwarranted use, of power amongst the people of his country. The Shah’s attempt at …show more content…
Examples of his abuse of power can be read throughout the book, and are integrated by Kapuscinski in a chronological way that shows how the Shahs use of power elevated into something that did not sit well with the people of Iran. This stems from the use of his police force, The Savak, and the torturing of citizens who spoke against him, to his army that doubled as a police force and were put on more of a pedestal than the regular civilians, even to the censoring of some media outlets. But these factors where not the only ones; there was also mentioning’s of corruptness such as bribes being taken by the Shahs family and other …show more content…
To put emphasis on the Shahs failure, Kapuscinski makes sure to include hints that reflect the blatant ignorance of how he ruled and his terrible decision making that led to his downfall and ultimate removal from his position. The most obvious phrase being, “(The Shah hadn’t realized)” (Kapuscinski 56). Kapuscinski repeats this several times, leaving no room for doubt on what kind of leader he was. He uses these almost as power words would be used by a hypnotist, to help readers keep in mind that he was constantly in a cycle of losing money and not being able to keep up with the promises made to upgrade his country, also at the same time not being true to his people and striking fear into the minds of millions; fear that was rightfully justified by the Shahs wicked way of running his country. Another point in the book where phrases like these are used is when Kapuscinski talks about Mahmud who comes back to Iran after several years of being away. He described his experience as fearful at some points, and repeats and emphasizes the word fear. He makes this theme of fear common throughout the rest of the book to really make sure people know what type of environment individuals had to dwell
The. All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror.
What influence did the SAVAK have on citizens in Iran during the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah? How were controversial authors, poets, and other political revolutionaries who were critical of the SAVAK treated, and what consequences did these enlightened revolutionaries have to suffer with the SAVAK? This investigation seeks to discuss the influence of the SAVAK in Iran, and the circumstances under which revolutionaries were oppressed by the SAVAK.
First, the Shah, out-of-touch with what his people wanted, became the catalyst for massive xenophobic and anti-Western feelings to spread throughout the nation. By giving up traditional Islamic ideals and becoming sort of a “puppet” for the U.S. and the Western world, the Shah made a mockery of himself and of those traditional Islamic values, which were paramount in Iran. For many years, Iranians wrote letters to the Shah, voicing their discontent with many aspects of his rule — the spread of the Bahá’í Faith, the collapse of Islamic traditions, and the crumbling economy. The Shah, however, did nothing to fix these issues. Instead, he designed a political reformation movement, hoping to silence his opponents, to introduce personal rights for women, and to establish a sense of fiscal equality. This series of reforms, which appeared to be a blatant attempt to Westernize Iran, became known as the “White
A few years later in 1979 the Islamic revolution began, causing the Shah to flee (introduction pages one and two).
Over the course of the last century, the Islamic Republic of Iran (formerly known as Persia) has seen colonialism, the end of a dynasty, the installation of a government by a foreign power, and just over three decades ago, the popular uprising and a cleric-led revolution. These events preceded what could be considered the world’s first Islamic state, as politics and fundamentalist religion are inextricably linked in contemporary Iran. Looking at Iran from the mid 1940’s until the present day, one can trace the path that led to the rise of fundamental Islam in Iran in three distinct periods. The first is that which began with the rise of secular nationalism and the decline of Islam. In the second, the secular, western-friendly government eventually gave way to the Islamic revival in the form of a government takeover by hard-line clerics and disillusioned, fundamentalist youth; both motivated and led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Rule of Iran by these fundamentalist clerics then led to the formation of the fundamentalist Islamic theocracy that governs present-day Iran. The current government has some democratic appearances, but all real power is in the hands of the supreme leader, an Ayatollah who is chosen by the Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics chosen by the Guardian Council. With the Iranian Revolution, political Islam was born, with the fundamentalists holding the reins of power in Iran to the present day.
In the 1970’s Iran, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was a very centralized military state that maintained a close relationship with the USA. The Shah was notoriously out of touch with working class Iranians as he implemented many controversial economic policies against small business owners that he suspected involved profiteering. Also unrestricted economic expansions in Iran lead to huge government expenditure that became a serious problem when oil prices dropped in the mid 1970’s. This caused many huge government construction projects to halt and the economy to stall after many years of massive profit. Following this was high rates of inflation that affected Iranians buying power and living standards. (Afary, 2012) Under the Shah, political participation was not widely available for all Iranians and it was common for political opposition to be met with harassment, illegal detention, and even torture. These measures were implemented by the Iranian secret police knows as ‘SAVAK’. This totalitarian regime combined with the increasing modernisation of the country paved the way for revolution.
At this point, with an understanding of what power is, what it means, how it is created and the various means through which it is expressed, one can begin to conceptualise how it is that power functions within a given society. Symbolic, cultural, social and economic capital distribute and perpetuate power within a society, through a cycle of transformation whereby these capital resources can be interchanged and manipulated to the advantage of individuals who have
Fear is the emotional state that someone goes into when they feel threatened or endangered. The fact that we do not know everything makes us think that everything we do not know is feared. There are many stories that include the fear of the unknown. Each poem, story, and drama include some type of fear. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, “Hills Like White Elephants”, and “Poof” there is an extensive amount of fear for the unknown. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Ernest Hemingway, and Lynn Nottage all used the fear to their advantage while writing and making an entertainment for the readers.
Arjomand, Said Amir. “Iran's Islamic Revolution in Comparative Perspective.” World Politics, Volume 38, Issue 3 (1986. 4), 383-414.
Part of modernizing Iran was turning it into an absolute dictatorship. The Shah was a ruthless leader. He jailed those who did not follow his laws. The Shah violated the basic principles of human rights, such as freedom of speech and religion. The Shah's son was also a ruthless leader who made himself like a king; he denied Iranian citizens peace.
The Iranian Revolution, “was the 1979 overthrow of Iran 's monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic Republic. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was replaced by the cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The revolution established religious leaders as the ruling class and integrated fundamentalist Islamic law into all aspects of the government, military, and public and private enterprise” (Definition of Islamic Revolution). The symbolism that is associated within the novel shows her rebellious stages such as, smoking a cigarette due to the amount of deaths that occurred in the revolution. Satrapi became curious about her surroundings and she seeks for knowledge and information about the Iranian Revolution in different ways such as reading.
Power – here defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others of courses of events – is relative. The forms that it takes and the way in which it is exercised has been constantly shifting and altering for centuries. This essay will focus particularly on forms of state power and the use of violence since the fall of feudalism and the prevalence of absolute sovereignty in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, through the process of modernity through to the present post-9/11 age. Over history, power has dispersed and become less evident; from being centralised in sole sovereigns with unlimited power over subjects, the bureaucratisation and democratisation of states and spread liberal concepts of freedom and
Fears of a communist takeover of Iran also fueled action both by the United States and pro-shah elements in their decision to depose Mosaddegh’s regime. Furthermore, the perpetuation of a state of domestic crises by the systematic employment of provocateurs certainly made it effortless to justify the decision to remove Mosaddegh when the time came: one must remember that the core elements of the Iranian military leadership came from the Persian Cossacks Brigade, both the only modernized military division in Iran, and a division with the dual-purpose of being used for civil suppression: the name ‘Cossack’ was not just a moniker, but indeed was appropriate in that the Persian Cossack Brigade adopted its Russian ancestor’s penchant for intervening in domestic affairs to ensure
Some theorists believe that ‘power is everywhere: not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere… power is not an institution, nor a structure, nor possession. It is the name we give to a complex strategic situation in a particular society. (Foucault, 1990: 93) This is because power is present in each individual and in every relationship. It is defined as the ability of a group to get another group to take some form of desired action, usually by consensual power and sometimes by force. (Holmes, Hughes &Julian, 2007) There have been a number of differing views on ‘power over’ the many years in which it has been studied. Theorist such as Anthony Gidden in his works on structuration theory attempts to integrate basic structural analyses and agency-centred traditions. According to this, people are free to act, but they must also use and replicate fundamental structures of power by and through their own actions. Power is wielded and maintained by how one ‘makes a difference’ and based on their decisions and actions, if one fails to exercise power, that is to ‘make a difference’ then power is lost. (Giddens: 1984: 14) However, more recent theorists have revisited older conceptions including the power one has over another and within the decision-making processes, and power, as the ability to set specific, wanted agendas. To put it simply, power is the ability to get others to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do. In the political arena, therefore, power is the ability to make or influence decisions that other people are bound by.
Although the Iranian Revolution was both a political and religious movement in that it resulted in major shifts in government structure from an autocracy to a republic and that Islamic beliefs were fought to be preserved, it was more a religious movement in that the primary goal of the people was to preserve traditional ideology and in that the government became a theocracy intertwined with religious laws and desires of the people. Although the Iranian Revolution was caused by combination of political and religious motivations and ideas, the desires of the people supporting the movement were more dominantly religious ideas that were wished to be imposed in society and in a new government. The Shah, or king, of Iran at the time was Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, who had developed relations with nations in the “western” world, specifically with the United States. The United States supported the White Revolution, which was a series of social reformations the Shah made to remove Islamic values, law and tradition from the government to boost the country’s economy (White Revolution, 2010).... ...