Part One: Youthful Mossadegh

At the beginning it is important to note that Mossadegh’s socialist relations are somewhat overplayed by socialists aiming to claim him and his opponents attempting to vilify him as an “evil communist”. Doctrine that he was socialist at all was widely popularized during the 1953 coup, where rioters and CIA/MI6 agents purported he was a communist to sway the general populace and more reactionary political factions. While throughout his life Mossadegh aligned himself with socialist factions, he was primarily a nationalist who’s populist and anti-colonial leanings often aligned with socialist factions. Please note that the “coup painted him as socialist” doctrine is also a generalization as he willfully aligned with leftist factions and some coup propaganda also painted him as a monarchist or foreign agent. The answer, as always, is complicated, so I urge you to read on before passing judgement.

Mossadegh’s political career began after the 1906 revolution, which was a lengthy on-again off-again civil wars between factions for supported the Shah (king) and constitutionalists who advocated the creation of a parliament. This schism, ignoring earlier, more stereotypically “oriental” rebellions was what thrusted Iran into the modern age, as when the constitutionalists won it not only created an attitude of democracy that gave way to fierce political schisms that have been the topic of multiple books and studies, but it also had Mossadegh elected to this new parliament as a member of the new “Moderate Socialist Party”, although he was too young to assume office at the age of 24. Ironically, the Moderate Socialists were the most conservative faction besides absolute monarchists in constitutional Iran, embracing the landed class, clerics, and those traditionally dubbed “reactionary” by socialists.

Mossadegh’s political adventures continued, and then swiftly ended, in the 1920s, with the ascension of new monarch Reza Shah. While the subject of truly vigorous political debate, one thing that can be said about the Shah was that he was power hungry, hopping from a Mazanderani peasant and later general to multiple ministry positions before staging a coup and crowning himself new king of the Pahlavi dynasty. Mossadegh, alongside a few socialists opposed his ascension, and hid out in Bakhtiari land during the chaos that allowed for Reza Shah’s crowning. After a brief stint of house arrest, Mossadegh alongside three other vocal constitutional intellectuals gave speeches opposing Reza Shah’s coronation, failed, and retired from public life.

But everything changed when the British Empire and Soviet Union attacked. In 1943, for… mixed reasons Russia and Britain invaded Pahlavi’s Iran and deposed him in favor of his son all while using Iran’s land as a road and depot at the same time. His son, Mohammad Reza, was young and at least in his early years a bit ineffective. This, coupled with an assassin maiming him during the unveiling of a University and multiple northern rebellions resulted in him basically relinquishing power to parliamentary forces, which were commanded at the time by a fragile coalition headed up by a Qajar aristocrat, one Ahmad Qavam. This period is referred to by historian Ervand Abrahamian as a “nationalist interregnum” that ended after Mossadegh’s turbulent premiership caused the shah to aim to become a more imposing figure. In this manner, the rule of the final shahs can be distinctly split into various “phases” of intellectual currents and the Shah’s action, although I’m getting ahead of myself.