Pahlavīsm: The Ideologization of Monarchy in Iran
The attempts by Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavī to legitimize his rule (1941-1979) in the face of competing modern ideologies have been the subject of academic attention, especially after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. This article contributes to this topic through use of a previously unexamined primary...
| Published in: | Politics, religion & ideology |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
2013
|
| In: |
Politics, religion & ideology
|
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The attempts by Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavī to legitimize his rule (1941-1979) in the face of competing modern ideologies have been the subject of academic attention, especially after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. This article contributes to this topic through use of a previously unexamined primary source, a four-volume set entitled Pahlavīsm, published in the run-up to the Shah's coronation in 1967 that reflected his recognition that the Pahlavī state needed a modern ideology to protect itself in the face of competing modern ideologies such as socialism, democracy and nationalism. Pahlavīsm was portrayed in these books as a new-old cosmology and total ideology for Iran that justified the monarchy in historical and contemporary terms. Vitally, Pahlavīsm attempted to achieve ideological hegemony by combining equally two crucial elements of modern ideologies, namely the imagery of, and return to, a past golden age and the promise of construction of a future golden age. This article, in addition to introducing the elements of this ideologization of monarchy, draws out the limitations and potential strengths of these attempts at a new ideological school called Pahlavīsm whose internal logic ultimately failed to deliver what an ideology must - the mobilizing power of ideas. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2156-7697 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Politics, religion & ideology
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/21567689.2012.751911 |