On the Origins of Authoritarian Islamic Regime Foundations in the Middle East: The Case of Iran

Abstract

This article examines the way in which the Islamic regime in Iran was founded, what were the political and social conditions that convinced people for a regime change and, finally, what were the social consequences of and reactions to an authoritarian regime foundation in this country heavily populated by Muslims. This article argues that the experience of Iran provides a model framework to understand potential authoritarian Islamic regime foundations elsewhere. The article studies Iran’s contemporary political history in three phases: firstly, the socio-political atmosphere of the pre-revolutionary period, which could be deemed as preliminary years triggering the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Secondly, the period of the constitutive attempts towards an Islamic regime foundation through the 1980s is examined. Thirdly, the confrontation phase is probed where the social reactions against the Islamic regime foundation have taken place and increasingly intensified since the 1990s until now.