How do hidden systemic processes determine the fate of a state? Just a year before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran seemed to be an «island of stability,» and U.S. President Jimmy Carter raised a toast to the strength of the Shah’s regime. How did audiocassettes with sermons defeat the all-powerful SAVAK security service? Why did liberal students and secular intellectuals follow radical clergy, and what price did they pay for it? And where is the point of no return after which peaceful reforms become impossible and a social explosion becomes inevitable? We retell a conversation with Iran specialist Maxim Alontsev from a new episode of the Sapere Aude podcast.
Revolution 1979: Who Really Dismantled the Iranian Monarchy?
From the alliance of mosque and bazaar to «Islamic Marxism» — how the ayatollahs came to power in Iran
