White Revolution Narratives

1963 Shah of Iran held a national referendum as "White Revolution. He proceeded to carry out a national development program that included construction of an expanded road, rail, air network, a number of dam and irrigation projects, the eradication of diseases like malaria, the encouragement and support of industrial growth, and land reform. Shah described the packages as the "White Revolution" It also has granted Iranian women the right to vote, increased women's minimum legal age to 18, and improved women's rights in divorce and child custody matters. Shah advertised the revolution as a step towards westernization. Part of launching the White Revolution was to rid of the landlords influence and create a new base of support among the working class and peasants. In order to legitimize the White Revolution, Shah called for a national referendum for which people voted. “But the White Revolution never constituted a real revolution. It represented an exercise in political expediency dictated by the man who sat at the top of Iran’s social order. The old aristocracy, the [thousand families], opposed the White Revolution because land reform eroded their wealth and position. The middle class dismissed it as nothing more than a political palliative design to impress the Western press and an American administration.” (Armajani, Yahya. 171-172). Shah proceeded to make lies and promises just to get people to vote for him. He ignored the land reform and when the promises were not met to the people. A war broke out on the streets of Iran and the people revoke around town and were frustrated and wanted him off as the leader. For what the Shah had lied about what he promised, the rich people got richer and powerful while the poor people began losing everything they worked so hard for.