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Iran (u.c.)

GOVT 122: Comparative Politics
Sweet Briar College
Instructor: Dr. Andrew Clem
For use of enrolled SBC students ONLY.

Years Leader(s)
1950- Mossedegh, Shah
1955- Shah Reza Pahlavi
1960- Shah Reza Pahlavi
1965- Shah Reza Pahlavi
1970- Shah Reza Pahlavi
1975- Shah Reza Pahlavi
1980- Ayatollah Khomeini
1985- Ayatollah Khomeini
1990- Ayatollah Khamenei
1995- Ayatollah Khamenei
2000- Ayatollah Khamenei
2005- Ayatollah Khamenei

Years indicated above are approximate. For more detail, see the Foreign Leaders page, with a year-by-year chronology.

Basic facts:
Political system:Theocracy
National leader:Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (1989-)
Structure:Unitary
Regime founded:1979
Democracy:Very little
Population:... million
Per capita GDP:$...

Distinctive features:

  • Oil is concentrated in southwest
  • Ethnic diversity: Kurds NW, Arabs SW, etc.
  • Nostalgia for ancient Persian Empire
  • The heart of the Shi'ite branch of Islam
  • Non-Arab speaking (Farsi)
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Political parties:

Name Party Party
Seats*: ? ?

SOURCES: Mark Kessleman, et al., Introduction to Comparative Politics; CIA World Factbook, various newspapers.