Welcome to this week's episode of the series "Find out more about the Islamic Revolution". Today, we study the views of Marvin Zonis, on Iran's Islamic Revolution.

Professor Marvin Zonis is the lecturer of political economy at Chicago University in the US. He is the author of the well-known book, named: "Majestic Failure", which studies the psychological aspects of the characteristic traits of the former Iranian dictator, Mohammad Reza Shah, from his childhood to his death. Throughout the suppressive rule of Mohammad Reza Shah, this university professor had also compiled a book on Iran's sociology. Marvin Zonis held four private interviews with the former Iranian dictator. Zonis is one of the theorists, who has studied and analyzed the reasons behind the emergence and culmination of the Islamic Revolution based on psychological viewpoints. Although the Islamic Revolution cannot be solely studied based on the psychological aspects of the behavioral patterns and characteristic traits of the former Iranian dictator, Shah; the outlook of Marvin Zonis toward the reasons behind the occurrence of Islamic Revolution is different in comparison to other related theories.

One of the most important commonalties about the theories which have been presented in relation to the Islamic Revolution is that the Iranian people are religious, and religion has played an especial role in the emergence and culmination of the Islamic Revolution. A number of theorists point out that religion shaped the behavioral pattern of the Iranian nation in the face of injustice. In the meantime, some such as Marvin Zonis believe that basically negligence of religion was the main reason behind the formation of Iran's Islamic Revolution. Zonis pinpoints that the despotic Pahlavi regime made strenuous efforts to fade away the role of religion in Iran, and to link the so-called legality of its suppressive rule to the pre-Islamic era.

In his book "Majestic failure", Zonis reminds that the former Iranian dictator, Mohammad Reza Shah, never mentioned the divine religion of Islam in his remarks. The former Iranian despot never made any commitment to advancement of the interests of the sacred religion of Islam and abidance by Islamic rules and regulations.

In fact, it can be said that Marvin Zonis indirectly notes that the negligence of the religious identity of people of Iran by the former Iranian despot, Mohammad Reza Shah, was the main cause of his ouster, and emergence and victory of the Islamic Revolution.

In the view of Marvin Zonis, another factor which led to the emergence and victory of Islamic Revolution was the dependence of the former Iranian tyrant, Mohammad Reza Shah, on others' support, and his lack of self-confidence.

According to Zonis, as long as there were a number of figures, granting the former Iranian dictator the psychological strength which was necessary for establishment of self-confidence, he would not face any major problem. However, concurrent with the occurrence of Islamic Revolution, all of these elements had been lost. These figures included the former Iranian premier throughout Shah's suppressive rule, Asadollah Alam; Shah's sister, Ashraf; and US officials' unwavering support for the former Iranian despot. In the view of Zonis, these elements gave mental strength to the former Iranian tyrant, however, concurrent with the Islamic Revolution, these figures and elements were absent and/or did not function; thereby surfacing the insecure characteristic traits of the former Iranian despot, Mohammad Reza Shah. Meanwhile, Zonis claims that lack of self-confidence led to the former despot's inaction toward the revolutionary movements. This is simply not true. The violence and brutality of the despotic Pahlavi regime escalated as of the year 1963 until 1979, in comparison to the years prior to 1963. The attack of the former despotic regime's agents on Qom Seminary in the year 1963, the uprising of people against the despotic Pahlavi regime in the year 1963, sending the Father of Islamic Revolution, late Imam Khomeini (God's mercy upon him) into exile, detention and incarceration of the then political activists and prominent religious figures, and the ruthless brutality of the Pahlavi despotic regime in its waning years are some of the manifestations of severe brutality of the former dictatorial regime, which systematically suppressed the Iranian nation.

Zonis, after studying reasons such as the characteristic traits of the former Iranian despot; negligence of the religious identity of the Iranian people by him, and the former Iranian dictator's excessive dependence on the US, mentions that Mohammad Reza Shah failed to fulfill the demands of the Iranian nation. Zonis especially puts emphasis on Mohammad Reza Shah's failure to meet the cultural and religious demands of the Iranian people.

Meanwhile, it should be said that there are also factors, other than the parameters related to characteristic traits of Mohammad Reza Shah, which have led to the emergence and victory of Islamic Revolution of Iran. Thereby, the most important criticism which can be made toward the views of Marvin Zonis is his one-dimensional outlook, and his sole focus on the psychological aspects of the characteristic traits of the former Iranian dictator, Mohammad Reza Shah.

AS/MG