1979: The Fall of the Shah (2015)

Undergraduate: Alexander Banoczi

Faculty Advisor: Leslie Frost
Department: Undecided

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Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi boarded a plane and flew over the country he once ruled for the last time in January 1979. A proponent for modernization and westernization in Iran, he was overthrown by his own countrymen in favor of a theocratic regime that revolved around the governmental implementation of Islam. This revolution has been understood as a religious revolt, but has its roots in economic and political events that occurred throughout the Shah¿¿¿s reign. Those suffering under the Shah¿¿¿s modernizing tactics utilized religion as a vehicle for the change they wished to see in the country. Specifically, Iranians living in rural areas, urban workers on fixed wages, and those working within bazaars, or traditional Middle Eastern markets, looked to gain the most from the Islamic Revolution. My goal, through research, is to demonstrate how the Shah¿¿¿s propagandistic portrayal of events throughout his reign created a rift between the Shah and his lower and middle class citizens. Furthermore, I wish to focus on revolutionist leaders¿¿¿ utilization of propaganda against the Shah in the years leading up to 1979, which worked to increase civilian unrest and catalyze the Shah's relinquishment of power over Iran.