Author name: كاظم دويخ صبيح

Supervisor name: عباس حسين مجيسر الجابري

General topic: History

Specific topic: Modern and Contemporary History

Degree: Doctorate

University: University of Thi-Qar - College Of Literature - Department Of History

Language: Arabic

University location: Dhi Qar

First pages:

Abstract: The study of The Intellectual Trends in Iran (1905 - 1979) - which is the timeframe for our scholarly study - fall within one of , or rather the most, important links in the contemporary history of Iran. For it addresses the bulk of contemporary period falling between Constitutional and Islamic revolutions, passing through all eventful and transitional periods of political life in Iran. Besides, the inflow of diverse Western ideas into Iran including that of Liberalism, Nationalism, Socialism, as well as that of progressive Islamic ideas with which various segments of Iranian society have interacted which helped generated afterwards Islamic parties, organizations and associations that have rumbled on Iranian political scene. Hence, the researcher’s choice of the subject matter. He aimed at finding out the historical truth behind the evolution and practices of those schools of thought, investigating all data and information that reflect their intellectual structures along with other studies in order to complete the historical picture or scene of that significant stage of contemporary history of Iran. The study has been organized in an Introduction, five Chapters and a Conclusion. Chapter One presents the economic, social, political and cultural structures and transformations experienced by the Iranian society starting off from the last decades of the nineteenth century down to the end of the period at which this study concludes. For those structures and transformation are of great importance to take stock of the circumstances through which the then society has been going that allowed Western ideas to flow into and spread across Iran. Besides, they would pave the way for demonstrating how those Western ideas found its way in and rolled into the Iranian nation. As for Chapter Two, it deals with the liberal intellectual movement and its evolution in Iran along with the Constitutional Revolution, which represented the first real experience of the liberals through which they were able to lay down the liberal practices on democratic foundations, as exemplified in restricting the king’s power, enacting the constitution and establishment of the parliament. we then go over the development process of the liberals starting from the First World War until the coup against Mossadeq and their oscillating relationships with Reza Shah. The Chapter also presents the most prominent liberal thinkers, liberal political organizations, and the most important issues raised by the liberals.In Chapter Three, dedicated to the national trend, we dealt with religious and national distribution of population in Iran. The Chapter explores also the factors that helped the national trend to rise and develop in Iran represented by several revolutionary movements such as (Nehzat - e Jangal “Forest movement”, Semco, Sheikh Mohammed Al Khiabani ), as well as political movements that took place by the end of World War II in the regions of Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Arabstan. The Chapter finally touches on the nationalist parties and organizations in Iran, and the efforts of each one of them towards the pro - autonomy and establishment of independent republics of Azerbaijan and Mahabad.Chapter Four discusses the topic of intellectual Marxist trend and follows up on its evolution and activities under the dictatorship of Reza Khan. The Chapter, then, covers the most prominent Marxist thinkers, and Marxist political organizations highlighting their positions at both national and international levels. Chapter Five, which is the final chapter of the study, is concerned with the topic of Islamist intellectual trend (Shiite ideology) in terms of its foundation and evolution, and tracks afterwards its evolving process over the period (1905 - 1941), in light of its interaction with Western concepts infiltrated into the country. The Chapter explores also the religious establishment, its different views on the constitutional revolution, and then the Shiite Islamic thought during the period (1963 - 1979). The Chapter turns to investigate the Shiite Islam during the years (1963 - 1979) represented by the rise of Imam Khomeini on the political scene and his leadership of the Islamo - fundamentalist renewal from whitin the religious establishment. The Chapter then goes on to present the most prominent thinkers of the Islamic revolution, and the evolution of political Islamic organizations, and the most prominent positions and issues that they put forward. As for the main conclusions drawn from the study following a careful analysis of the facts contained in its five chapters, they are : The liberal trend has contributed significantly throughout the contemporary history of Iran in highlighting national thought and drawing the attention of the people of Iran towards the prospects for freedom and independence away from colonial powers and their meddling in Iran's internal affairs. All this in turn pushed to the outbreak of revolutions in the country, such as the Tobacco Revolution, Constitutional Revolution and the Nationalization of the oil industry. This trend also played a role, along with others, in the success of the Islamic revolution in 1979.As for the national movement, it has been destined to be short - lived in the Iranian state, for there was a lack of cultural and social atmosphere that might have helped it to survive and thrive. Besides, the idea of nationalism is a Western import and thus was not derived from within the conscience of Iranian society. Moreover, Iranian nationalism was not preceded by social and economic reforms necessary to establish a comprehensive renaissance as it was the case for Western nationalism.The Marxist trend has been reduced to the Tudeh Party and some small radical parties. Even though the party has an organization structure, educated cadres, and practices of different political activities spread out across the country as well as a remarkable press network, the party did not take advantage of all those factors as required; the party has the least impact on the course of political and social events in Iran.As to the Islamic trend, that is taken root in the Iranian society, the then prevailing circumstances forced it to take a defensive position of Islam as a valid way of life, especially given that the responsibility of underdevelopment whose its consequences experienced by the Iranian society at the time were being rested with Islam.Following the anti - Mossadeq coup in 1953, the Islamic trend has prevailed political and social scenes starting off and establishing the notion of Islamic Revolution led by Imam Khomeini in 1979, and applying the velayat - e faqih (The Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist), which took the Shiite Islam to the farthest it can dig back, namely, the Islamic Government.