Western influence on Iran
The Iranian
President, Hassan Rouhani, has blamed western influences on the rise of the Islamic state in Iran and many of the problems that the country faces today. In Dr. Lugers ASTU class we are currently Persepolis, a graphic narrative written by Marjane Satrapi, which tells the story of a young girl growing up in Iran after the fall of the monarchy. In the book Satrapi comments on how western powers, through the use of imperialism, caused many of the problems Iran faced in the modern age. I became interested in what specifically happened to cause the problems, specifically the rise of the Islamic state, in Iran. The Islamic Revolution was, explained by Satrapi, a revolution meant to establish a communist or Socialist Republic in Iran. The ruler at the time was established after the previous government’s prime minister nationalized the oil industry. This caused repercussions across the world, but specifically in western nations which relied on oil. The United States, along with Great Britain, dethroned the Emperor and formed a puppet monarchy in its place. The influence of westerners in Iran not only angered Iranians, but set the stage for the revolution. Eventually the frustration towards the new “Shah” and government caused the people to revolt, but with unforeseen consequences. The frustration and socialist atmosphere in Iran was exemplified in Marji, the child representation of Satrapi in Persepolis, who was constantly trying to be like Che Guevara, Castro, and Trotsky. However, the idealistic conception of a Socialistic Republic disappeared as Islamic extremists where able to seize control of the Revolution and form a Government based on Islam, rather than socialist ideals. Although many opposed the idea of an Islamic Republic, many simply accepted it, assuming it would be better than the current “Western” Government. This was seen in Persepolis through the conversations between Marji’s father and her Uncle Anoosh, both considered themselves to be socialist and accepted the revolution for the sake of change. Western imperialism has caused massive issues in Iran as it setup a government for the sake of exploitation and economic gain. These factors created an unstable Society within Iran and lead to the hardships Marji had to face in Persepolis.