The Iranian Revolution Then And Now: Indicators Of Regime Instability [Paperback]

Introduction -- The Problem of Revolution -- The Social Underpinnings of Present-Day and Prerevolutionary Regimes: The Intelligentsia, the Clerics, and the Bazaaris -- The Social Underpinnings of the Monarchy and the Theocracy: The Business Community, the Middle Class, and the Dispossessed -- The Oppositional Forces: From Temporary Cohesion to Large-Scale Demoralization and Disorganization -- Comparing the Nature and Leadership Qualities of Prerevolutionary and Postrevolutionary Authoritarian Regimes -- Conclusion: The Problem of Revolution RevisitedIn The Iranian Revolution Then and Now, Dariush Zahedi assesses the Islamic Republic's potential for revolution through an in-depth, theoretically informed, comparative analysis of the present with 1979 pre-Revolutionary Iran. Zahedi discusses how the potential for a revolutionary coup is based on two things: the inherent defects and vulnerabilities in the regime and the coordinated actions of the social groups and individuals opposed to the regime. He also identifies two ?ideal-typical? forms of revolutionary change (the regime collapses on its own, or, the regime is overthrown). He concludes that the chances for overthrowing the present regime are moderate.This book assesses the Islamic Republic's potential for revolution through a comparative analysis of the present with 1979 pre-Revolutionary Iran. It identifies two ideal-typical forms of revolutionary change—the regime collapses on its own or the regime is overthrown.Dariush Zahedi received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Southern California in 1998. He has been a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard University's centre for Middle Eastern Studies, and is currently a lecturer at UC Berkeley's Department of Political Science. He is also the Director of the West Coast operations of the American Iranian Council (AIC). Chaired by former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, AIC is a non-profit, educational, organization devoted to improving relatiolӆ