Cultural Revolution, 1980-1983• Main Goal:

– Cleanse society of secular and Western influence• Education System:

– Primary agent of Islamic socialization.• Curricula at all school levels emphasized:

– Religious Studies -- Islamic Revolution– Islamic culture -- Anti-western

• Universities closed from 1980-1983.– Center of anti-regime activism– Reopened under the control of Islamic regime

• Purged universities of leftists and secularists.• Successful or unsuccessful?

Iranian Government

• Constitution of 1979– Written by the Assembly of Religious Experts– Ended Monarchy– Regime Change to a Theocracy

• “Velayat-e Faqih” (The Guardianship of the Jurist)– Traditional Shia term.– Religious leaders have authority over unfortunate people

(widows, orphans, etc.)– Shiism traditionally shunned political involvement.– Khomeini, however, said that in the absence of the Hidden

Imam, the clergy have religious AND political authority over the ENTIRE community.

Iranian System of Government

• www.bbcnews.co.uk

The Supreme Leader

• Head of state• HOLDS ULTIMATE

POWER• Must be an ayatollah• Appointed for LIFE by

Assembly of Experts

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini(1979-1989)

Ayatollah AliKhamenei

(1989-present)

The Supreme Leader: Head of State• Faqih: Leading Islamic Jurist

– Interprets sharia• Supervises policy implementation• Sets general guidelines of Iran• Dismiss president• Commander-in-Chief• Appoints:

– Head of Judiciary, Revolutionary Guard Commanders, Media Directors, Friday Prayer Leaders, The Expediency Council, & half of The Guardian Council (6 members)

Guardian Council• 12 Members– 6 appointed by Supreme Leader (usually clerics)– 6 appointed by Head of Judiciary

• 6 year termPowers

• Veto legislation from Majles (violates Sharia)• Vet candidates for all offices– 2012: 5,000 candidates registered for Parliamentary elections;

1/3 were disqualified.– 2009: 143 applied as candidates for president; 3 were approved.

Assembly of Religious Experts

• 86 members• 8 year term• Elected by the people

Powers• Select the Supreme Leader• Can remove Supreme Leader

The Expediency Council

• 32 Members• Appointed by Supreme Leader• 3 year terms

Powers• Referees disputes between Majles and

Guardian Council.• Can initiate legislation• Advisory body to Supreme Leader

The President• Head of Government• Elected by the people• Must win majority, or

face a run-off• Candidacy approved

by Supreme Leader and Guardian Council

• Pious Shiite• Two, 4-year terms

Ali Khamenei: 81-89

Hashemi Rafsanjani: 89-97

Mohammad Khatami: 97-05

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: 05-Present

The PresidentPowers

• Drafts Budget• Proposes Legislation• Signs Treaties and

agreements• Chairs National Security

Council• Appoints regional

governors• Head of Bureaucracy• Selects cabinet members

“The Ayatollah Begs to Differ”

• Describe Ahmedinejad’s socioeconomic background.

• Give examples of how he deliberately projects his public image.

• To whom is he trying to appeal?

Majles

• Created in 1906• 290 seats• SMD• Direct Elections• 4 year term

Powers• Pass laws• Appoint 6 members of

Guardian Council (list created by Head of Judiciary)

• Approve budgets and treaties

Elections to Majles

• May campaign for one week• Approval of Guardian Council• Must win more than 25% of vote in SMD, or

there is a run-off.

Political Parties

• Constitutionally permissible• Heavily regulated by Guardian Council– Reformist party candidates are usually DQed.

• Highly unstable parties• Organized around personalities, not issues• Parties tend to form alliances.

Results of Majles Election of 2012

Deflect Accountability

Deflect Accountability

• “Delegate to others the enactment of unpopular measures and keep in their own hands the means of winning favors."

Project Modesty

Project Modesty

• "To those seeing and hearing him, he should appear a man of compassion, a man of good faith, a man of integrity, a kind and religious man."

Don’t Compromise

Don’t Compromise

• "When settling disputes between his subjects, he should ensure that his judgment is irrevocable; and he should be so regarded that no one ever dreams of trying to deceive or trick him."

Cultivate the Military

Cultivate the Military

• "When princes have thought more of ease than of arms they have lost their states. And the first cause of your losing it is to neglect this art; and what enables you to acquire a state is to be master of the art."

Maintain an External Enemy

Maintain an External Enemy

• "Many believe that when he has the chance an able prince should cunningly foster some opposition to himself so that by overcoming it he can enhance his own stature."

The Judiciary

• Chief Justice:– Appointed by Supreme

Leader– 5-year term– Cleric

• Supreme Court– Highest appeals court

Types of Law1. Sharia: Islamic Law

– Built up over centuries– Ultimate Legal Authority

2. Qanun: Law with no sacred basis.– Passed by Majles– Cannot contradict Sharia

• Strict interpretation of Sharia law.– High rate of executions– Approved torture

Iranian Military

• Over ½ million active troops– 8th largest in world

REVOLUTIONARY GUARD• Elite part of armed forces (approx. 125,000)• Established in 1979: loyalty to Khomeini– Answer directly to Supreme Leader

• Own ground forces, navy and air force• Close ties to Ahmadinejad (Former member)

“The Ayatollah Begs to Differ”

• Aside from its military importance, describe the significance of the Revolutionary Guard.

• Influence over oil industry/economy.• Most non-clerical political leaders came from

Guard.– Recruitment of political elite

Iranian Military

• Basij– Loosely organized volunteer militia– Controlled by the Revolutionary Guard– 300,000-1 million– Many are not even issued weapons– Paramilitary Enforcers