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July 28, 2025 102 mins

Does Iran need reform or another revolution? History of Iran's two & half 20th century revolutions answers that question.


🚩In this interview:

►Iran's Constitutional Revolution, 1905-11

►Clergy vs. intellectuals

►Iran's fundamental law

►Dividing Iran into two - Russian and British empires

►Russian 1905 Revolution & the Young Turk Revolution of 1908

►"Innocence" of Iran's Constitutional Revolution

►Comparing Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution to Iran's Constitutional Revolution of 1905-11

►Transformation of Iran's clergy from the 19th century to 1979

►Have the clergies' attempts to Islamicize Iranians worked?

►Were Iran's Revolutions betrayed?

►Why hasn't Iran experienced another successful revolution since 1979?

►The French Revolution or Edmund Burke Reforms - which is the right course for Iran's future?


🚩About My Guest Scholar:

My guest is Dr. Abbas Amanat, professor Emeritus of History at Yale University. He has written extensively about early modern and modern history of Iran, the Middle East, the Muslim world and the Persianate world. In this interview, we discuss Dr. Amanat's forthcoming book: Solar Calendar and the Place of Nowruz in the Iranian Cultural Identity.

This interview is based on chapters from "Iran: A Modern History", one of Dr. Amanat's many books that I have read and recommend. By the way, Dr. Amanat's latest book is the "The Caspian World: Connections and Contentions at a Modern Eurasian Crossroads".


🚩Related Interviews:

►⁠S2E5 UME: Iranian New Year's Geopolitical and Mythological History, Dr. Abbas Amanat, Yale University

S5E31 HbN: Iran's Grand National Security Strategy, Dr. Vali Nasr, Johns Hopkins University


I hope you enjoy these episodes.

Adel Aali


⁠⁠⁠⁠Support My Program⁠⁠⁠⁠:

I rely on ⁠⁠⁠⁠your support⁠⁠⁠⁠ to continue this program. So thank you in advance.

🎶Music attributions:

1. Opening and closing music of the program:

Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011.

Music available on at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program.


2. Background music to guest introduction:

The Desert | The Grand Score

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creatorchords.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music promoted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified.


3. Background music to promoting History Behind News episodes:

The Success by Keys of Moon |


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