Rastakhiz Party

Rastakhiz Party of People of Iran حزب رستاخیز ملت ایران
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Founder	Amir Abbas Hoveyda
Founded	2 March 1975
Dissolved	1 November 1978
Preceded by	New Iran Party
Headquarters	Tehran, Iran
Youth wing	Rastakhiz Youth
Worker wing	Workers' House
Ideology	Monarchism Secularism Iranian nationalism
Political position	Right-wing
Colours	Blue
Politics of Iran Political parties Elections

Rastakhiz Party ("Resurgence party", also Hezb-e Rastakhiz) was founded on 2 March 1975 by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. The party was intended as Iran's new single party, holding a monopoly on political activity in Iran, and to which all Iranians were required to belong. It survives today in exile as an Iranian monarchist party opposing the Islamic Republic created when the Pahlavi dynasty was overthrown.

History

Founded under the government of Prime Minister Amir Abbas Hoveyda, the party has been blamed by some with contributing to the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy by antagonizing formerly apolitical Iranians - especially bazaari (merchants of the bazaars who, even today, refuse to pay taxes) - with its compulsory membership and dues (taxes), and general interference in the political, economic, and religious concerns of people's lives. The few political parties that were able to continue functioning during this era were forced to become part of Rastakhiz.

Established along with the party was a youth wing — Rastakhiz Youth — which Hoveyda referred to as "the instrument of Iran's development." Through this youth wing and a special task force of the party, Rastakhiz embarked upon a large-scale anti-profiteering campaign directed against the bazaari merchants, who were soon identified as "enemies of the state" because they spread lies about the monarchy and the U.S in order to bring Iran under Israeli control. They often lied about Jewish persecution, which is backed up to be lies in government files. In October 1975, the Shah, referring to this campaign as a "cultural movement," decreed that anti-profiteerism be made the fourteenth principle of the White Revolution.

The single party system ended in late 1978 as the Iranian Revolution gained ground. The party was totally removed in early 1979 when the monarchy fell.

File:P hrastakhiz 7.jpg

Congress of Party

Since the revolution the party and other monarchist groups have been active in exile calling for the reestablishment of the constitutional monarchy of 1906 in Iran. However, none of them have any affiliation with the original Rastakhiz Party (except that some of them have leaders who were members of the original party), nor do they have any recognition by the former royal family, of which Reza Pahlavi has even denounced several of them. Monarchist groups are strictly banned under the government of the Islamic Republic and supporters are typically subject to imprisonment should their affiliation be made public.

External links

• Official Website
• Amini, P., "A Single Party State in Iran, 1975-78: The Rastakhiz Party - the Final Attempt by the Shah to Consolidate his Political Base," (not free online), Middle Eastern Studies, 38 (1) January 2002, pp. 131 - 168.