Iran Vocab

Front 1

Theocracy

Back 1

Government ruled strictly by religion.

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Secularization

Back 2

The belief that religion and government should be separated.

Front 3

Zoroastrianism

Back 3

The Persian state-sponsored religion under King Darius.

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Shiism

Back 4

A division of Islam that maintained the tradition that leadership should be passed to hereditary descendants of Muhammad.

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Sunni Muslims

Back 5

Favored choosing the caliph from the accepted leadership (the Sunni).

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Imams

Back 6

Hereditary descendants of Muhammad that are heirs to the caliph.

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Hidden Imam

Back 7

The 12th descendant of Muhammad that disappeared as a child.

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Pahlavi

Back 8

Leaders of Iran from 1925 to 1979 that attempted to secularize the state. Led by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Front 9

Ayatollah Khomeini

Back 9

Leader of Iran under the Pahlavi reign. Personified the union of political and religious interests of the ancient days.

Front 10

Revolution of 1979

Back 10

Led by Ayatollah Khomeini, an event that transformed the legitimacy of the state, anchoring it once again in the principles of Shiism.

Front 11

Constitution of 1979

Back 11

Written by Khomeini after the Revolution of 1979 and later joined by 40 amendments. It remains the most important document that legitimizes the state. Mixes theocracy and democracy.

Front 12

Qom

Back 12

A city south of Tehran that reflects the conflict of conservatives and reformers through its clerics and their interpretations of the true meaning of jurist's guardianship.

Front 13

Sharia

Back 13

Islamic Law. An important source of legitimacy that the modern government particularly emphasizes.

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Safavid Empire

Back 14

1501-1722. Founded Iran's Shiite identity. Ruled from Isfahan a rather unconnected city that made trade difficult. They lacked a central state causing fragmentation.

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Qajar Empire

Back 15

1794-1925. Moved the capital to Tehran but retained Shiism. Lacked legitimacy by imams, widening the separation between gov't and religion. Landed Iran in serious debt because of European imperialism.

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Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1909

Back 16

Revolt by business owners and bankers against the Qajars' move to hand over their customs collections to Europeans. Included the Constitution of 1906 which incoporated many western democratic features.

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People of the Book

Back 17

Monotheistic people who subjected their lives to holy books similar to the Qur'an. (Jews, the Torah; Christians, the Bible; and Zoroastrians, the Avesta)

Front 18

Guardian Council

Back 18

Created by the Constitution of 1906. A group of clerics that had the power to veto any legislation passed by the Majles.

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Majles

Back 19

A new assembly under the Constitution of 1906 that became the legislature. Seats were guaranteed to the "People of the Book" who have authority to make and pass laws as well as control cabinet ministers.

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Tudeh Party

Back 20

A communist group that challenged the shah (Pahlavis), gaining most of its support from working class trade unions.

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National Front

Back 21

A group that drew support from middle-class people who emphasized Iranian nationalism.

Front 22

Muhammad Mosaddeq

Back 22

Led the National Front; advocated nationalizing the British-owned company that monopolized Iran's oil business. Became prime minister in 1951 but was run out of the country when the British struck back to maintain their holdings.

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Rentier State

Back 23

Transformed by the Pahlavis. An economy heavily supported by state expenditure, while the state receives rent from other countries.

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Import Substitution Industrialization

Back 24

Adopted by the Pahlavi shah by encouraging domestic industries to provide products that the population needed.

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White Revolution

Back 25

The Phalavi shah's attempts to counter communist influences. Focused on land reform to encourage farmers to become modern entrepreneurs with irrigation canals, dams, and tractors. It also secularized Iran by extending women's rights.

Front 26

Pahlavi Foundation

Back 26

A patronage system that controlled large companies that fed the pocketbooks of the shah and his supporters.

Front 27

Resurgence Party

Back 27

Formed by Muhammad Reza Shah who declared Iran a one-party state with him as its head.

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Fundamentalism

Back 28

Emphasizes literal interpretation of Islamic texts, social conservatism, and political traditionalism.

Front 29

Jurist's Guardianship (velayat-e-faqih)

Back 29

An old Shia term that Khomeini claimed that the true meaning gives the clergy authority over the entire Shia community.

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Revolution of Rising Expectations

Back 30

Revolutions are most likely to occur when people are doing better than they once were, but some type of setback happens.

Front 31

Assembly of Religious Experts

Back 31

Established in the Constitution of 1979. A 73-man assembly of clerics elected directly by the people.

Front 32

Cultural Revolution

Back 32

Aimed to purify the country from not only the shah's regime, but also from secular values and behaviors, particularly those with western origins.

Front 33

Ali Khamenei

Back 33

Successor to Khomeini. Was not as charismatic or intelligent as his predecessor.

Front 34

White Coup

Back 34

Regime under President Ahmadinejad, a conservative who antagonized western countries and asserted theocratic values as an appeal to Iranian nationalism.

Front 35

Muhammad Khatami

Back 35

Iranian president (1997-2005) that initiated a "Tehran spring" - a period of cautious political liberalization, with loosening of freedom of speech and press, a more open economy, and a friendlier stance towards the outside world.

Front 36

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Back 36

Iranian president who closed down newspapers, banned and censored books and websites, and did not tolerate the peaceful demonstrations and protests of the Khatami era.

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Mir-Hossein Mousavi

Back 37

Rival candidate to Ahmadinejad in the election of 2009 whose loss sparked demonstrations and protests that called for the election to be annulled.

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Equality-with-difference

Back 38

The Islamic Republic's policy toward women, meaning that divorce and custody laws now follow Islamic standards that favor males.

Front 39

Akbar Hasemi Rafsanjani

Back 39

A former Iranian president known for his moderate and pragmatic views.

Front 40

Workers' House

Back 40

An important interest group for factory workers that operates with the help of its affiliates newspaper, Kar va Kargar.