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Mosaddeghism مصدقیسم | |
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| Leader | Mohammad Mosaddegh |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Membership |
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| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Part ofa series on |
| Liberalism in Iran |
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Principles
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Intellectuals |
Organizations |
Mosaddeghism is a political doctrine and set of policies supported byMohammad Mosaddegh, the democratically elected Prime Minister ofIran from 1951 to 1953. This policy represents a convergence ofIranian nationalism andconstitutional democracy, and aimed to secure Iran's sovereignty and economic independence in the aftermath of the1941-1946 Anglo-Soviet occupation. This ideology was to be achieved through a number of policies, most prominently in 1951 when Irannationalized the vast natural resources held by the British-ownedAnglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC).
Mosaddegh believed that true political independence was impossible without economic independence. Thenationalization law of 1951 was a de facto manifestation of this principle that rejected concessionary system, which historically benefited foreign powers at the expense of the Iranian state.
Mosaddeghism was a powerful anti-imperialist whose focus was on eliminatingBritain's pervasive influence and later resisting pressure from theUnited States and theSoviet Union in the early Cold War era. It pursued a 'Negative Equilibrium' (موازنه منفی) policy, meaning Iran refused to make concessions to all foreign powers rather than keeping concessions between rival powers in balance.[4]
This ideology incorporated elements ofsocial democracy. Mosaddegh's reforms included measures to protect industrial workers, establish compulsory unemployment insurance, and transfer land fromShah's estate to the public domain to address farmers' conditions. These reforms aimed to create a fair and equitable distribution of the national wealth created in the oil industry.
The main political organization that propagated and implemented Mosaddeghism was theNational Front. Founded in 1949, it was a broad coalition that united various groups, including liberal democrats, non-communist socialists, moderate conservatives, and secular nationalists, to achieve the common goal of protecting the constitution and nationalizing oil.[8][9]
Mosaddeghism was forced to end in 1953 by the U.S.CIA and British MI6 as a result of the1953 Iranian coup d'état. His overthrow brought ShahMohammad Reza Pahlavi back to absolute power and halted progressive experimentation.[10][11]
Mosaddeghism remains one of the most important and influential political trends in modern Iranian history:[12]
Critics believe that Mossadeghism, by placing too much emphasis on fighting foreigners (especially the challenge to theWest) andxenophobia to achieve the goals of economic and political independence, has effectively marginalized more important areas such as political and social freedoms in Iran; because the fundamental problem of Iranian society istyranny and the lack of realdemocracy. They argue that Mossadeghism, by followingpopulist policies, has founded a discourse that values confrontation instead of development and considers isolation a virtue instead of interaction, and has weakened legalism in Iran, ultimately leading to institutional inefficiency and concentration of power in Iran.[15][16]
... when Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh began invoking resource nationalism as an additional political tool to end broader colonial domination and to begin pursuing social reform in his home nation of Iran.
