The country of Iran has experienced great turmoil and change during the 20th century, from de-throning its monarch in the beginning of the century to installing an Ayatollah as the Supreme Leader in the latter part of the century. They have also had the benefit of having a new kind of 20th century wealth: oil money. Iran has experienced much change during the past one hundred years, along with the counterparts in the Middle East who have experienced great wealth through oil and also great internal turmoil within their political systems as they attempted to consolidate their rule after centuries of Ottoman domination. It is this political turmoil and the outgrowth of it which is explored in this book. Wright sets out to explain how Iran has transformed from a country on its way to modernization under the Shah to a country who was derailed through an Islamic revolution, and is now having to coalesce the two disparate notions of governance into a single political system. It is also the objective of the book to explain how the people of Iran have addressed the new Islamic Revolution, whether the strict societal regulations are accepted by a country who has experienced modernity and political empowerment under the previous ruler, the Shah.
Religion has always been a huge factor in the region, causing many wars, and even more domestic conflict over the interpretation of religion and how it should be incorporated into everyday life and public life as well. As the only Shi'ite country in the region, Iran has long been set apart from its neighbors, both religiously and geographically, in addition to the different factions within the country who have sought to establish rule over the country as a whole. However, there was always the challenge of how to incorporate the teachings of Islam and the Koran into a workable political agenda wich would be able to govern a country and bring about an Islamic republic, wherein Islam and government would be able to co-exist and the people of Iran would be happy in a country ruled by the tenets of Islam. This is the puzzle confronted by Wright in her book as she explores the impact of the Islamic Revolution upon Iran and the phenomena of the revolution itself, a mixture of the socialist ideas from Russia and the egalitarian ideas from France and the rest of the democratized world. The notion of democracy and an Islamic government have never been able to peacefully co-exist before, and, through an account of everyday life in Iran told through the eyes of the people who live it as well as an account of the political turmoil experienced on an almost daily basis, Wright examines the success of the Islamic republic.
The evidence explored by Wright is gathered from first-hand experiences she has had with the people who have shaped both the Islamic revolution as well as the dissident groups within the revolution who have called for a more democratic approach to government and for an end to the repressive social regulations imposed by the Ayatollah and his government, and she examines this evidence as it relates to the areas of women's rights, politics, pop culture, and protest. During the time of the Shah, Iran was swiftly undergoing to trend towards modernization, crystallized in the White Revolution during the 1960's. The people had tasted democracy and liberation, and were excited by it. Westernized culture had begun to sweep Iran, from its literature, to its entertainment, to its economy, and it was against this cultural invasion that the Ayatollah Khomeini began agitating for a return to Islamic culture, government, and societal practices.
Despite the modern influences and somewhat Westernized thinking, Khomeini, a former exile, was able to overthrow the government of the Shah in 1978, and embark upon his mission of returning Iran to an Islamic state safeguarded against the evils of the West, especially America. Khomeini, however, did not change two of the things which the Shah had instituted or begun: women's rights and voting rights. The society had reached a point where these rights were seen as essential and would not be surrendered to the State. Although women had the right to attain education and other basic rights, their rights were greatly curtailed as a result of the Islamic revolution. They were required to wear the chadors, head coverings which conceal everything but eyes, nose, and mouth, and they are not allowed to mix with males in everyday interaction. However, women have made great strides in Iranian society. They are able to participate in government, hold office, and hold many other powerful positions within the society. There has also been reformations in the legal arena which have granted women more rights within society, especially with regards to marriage and divorce, giving women equality with men, although they still have very different roles within society. This focus on the greater rights of women is no more greatly exemplified than in the area of birth control, with the State providing the means for women, and even men now, to curtail the number of children they have in an effort to help address the swift population growth.
Another area which has been heavily influenced through the revolution has been in Iran's political arena. With the coming of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the government assumed an entirely different focus: that of conforming society to the tenets of Islam. Throughout the next two decades, the Islamic government perpetrated many instances of censorship and virtual extinguishment of any idea contrary to the ideals set forth in the Koran. They restricted the influx of Western culture, and quelled any dissident groups within the country who dared challenge their authority. Wright gives numerous accounts in her book of people who were targeted by the regime for their political views. Even today, there is great unrest due to the conflict between the conservatives in Iran and the more progressive sections of society who believe in freedom of thought and expression.
A final instantiation of the Islamic revolution is explored by Wright through her account of the relation between pop culture and protest in the Iranian republic. Wright interviews many of Iran's great minds and gives an account of the censorship they have experienced all in the name of protecting the sanctity of the Islamic tradition. The greatest divides in the country can be seen with the incursion of pop culture, mostly from America. The conservatives in the regime attempt to entirely prevent the flow of Western music, film, and literature so that society will not be tempted to emulate the "excesses of evil" which is embodied in most of Western culture. However, the democratizing forces within the country, especially the youth, view Western ideas and culture as a way in which to progress and defeat the suppression of the totalitarian government. There has been constant and bloody conflict between these diametrically opposed forces, and, lately, with the unrest in Iran due to high unemployment, huge population growth, as well as the influence of forward thinkers and their greater freedom to express themselves, the forces of modernization are slowly winning the day, defeating the notion that democracy and an Islamic government can ever peacefully co-exist.
Wright's book is an extremely impressive account of the conflict in Iran due to differing ideas on how society should look and act. She presents highly personal accounts of the struggle shared by many individuals within Iran in the attempt to make their government realize that they cannot restrict the free-flow of ideas and the social practices which follow from those ideas. She also gives a convincing account of the political struggles which have brought Iran to the point which it is at today: whether to completely separate religion from the state policies, or whether there is room for both. Wright's account is very prescient today due to its historical focus on the conflict between Islam and democracy, as well as its warnings of the consequences of trying to control the thoughts and actions of an entire society. Although Wright does sometimes stray into excessive description when giving accounts of incidents or phenomena within the country, her book is very important for understanding the cultural foundations present in Iran which have given it is distinct and volatile nature even today. Indeed, the book should serve as a reminder that culture and all its outworkings is the most powerful catalyst for change within a political system.

Wright's book is valuable for its first hand reporting of the current situation in Iran, both politically and culturally, as the country struggles to overcome the setbacks of the revolution. Iran seems to figure very little in the conciousness of the average American. But as Wright makes clear, America still holds both fascination and revulsion to the average Iranian. Wright's interviews with numerous Iranians and her extensive travels around the country provide a vivid narrative that will surprise the average reader. Overall, a very good read that provides lots of insight into where Iran is and where it might be headed.

The Last Great Revolution by Robin Wright is a must read for anyone interested or curious about the "aftermath" of the Iranian revolution.

For those who have not been back to Iran since the revolution, or for those who would like to understand a culture so complex and rich, this book documents the social climate of the past twenty years in Iran.

I could not put the book down. Living in the states for most of my life, yet visting Iran every so often: as I turned each page, I felt like it was another day I was living in Iran. By reading this, I heard the traffic, I felt the heat through my chador, and I also saw the struggles the Iranians go through daily.

In addition to stating the drawbacks to the Islamic revolution, more importantly, Wright establishes an intriguing twist to the stereotypical image of Iran. She does so by praising the "births" of the many sub-movements, ie. Iranian cinema, education, women's rights. Although, Iran has a long way to go in many aspects, it was encouraging to read about the numerous accomplishments Iranians have made by transforming the theocratic restrictions into positive change.

In light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, this book provides a context in which to understand the current state of affiars. It chronicles the Kohmeini decade in Iran, 1979-1989 and describes how complex the politics of the region can be. The quagmire sometimes causes the U.S. and other nations to allign with questionable parties simply because options are limited. This book describes how some of those linkages come about.

I have to disagree with the reader from London. While this book does not go into nearly enough depth about the darker side of the Iranian revolution, it's hardly an apologia. I read it more as a primer, the first draft on a remarkably important event that is still being understood 20 years later. Consult Ms. Wright's other book, "The Last Great Revolution" as a followup.

In this book, author Robin Wright covers the history of Iran from the 1979 Revolution, to Ayatollah Khomeini's death in 1989. Covering in-depth the happenings inside Iran, she covers many of the different factions within in Iran, as they jostled for power and frequently clashed. She breaks this decade down into four phases: 1979-82, the period of survival; 1983-late 1986, the period of expansion; late 1986-mid 1988, the period of retreat; and mid-1988 on, when Iran came to terms with its rivals.

This book was written in 1989, which means that the author did not have too much time in which to put the Iranian Revolution into its proper historical setting. However, that said, the author does give a wonderful understanding, at times showing the similarities between the terrors of Iran's Revolution and those of the French and Russian Revolutions.

It did not appear to me that the author was trying to present the revolution in an overtly positive light, though the terrors were not covered in any great depth. Instead, this book read like any good history of the French or Russian Revolutions, and is an excellent chronicle. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand what happened in Iran during this fascinating decade.