Mosaddeghism

Mosaddeghism مصدقیسم
Leader	Mohammad Mosaddegh
Founded	1949
Membership	Moderate Socialists' Party (1914–1918)[1] Anti-Reorganization Democrat (1918–1919)[2] Independent (1919–1949)[3] National Front (1949–1967)
Ideology	Liberalism (Iranian) Secularism (Iranian) Radicalism Anti-clericalism Anti-imperialism[4] Social liberalism[5] Social democracy Iranian nationalism Resource nationalism[6] Factions:[a] Islamic liberalism
Political position	Centre-left

Mosaddeghism is a political doctrine and set of policies supported by Iran's democratically elected Mohammad Mosaddegh, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953. This policy essentially represents a strong convergence of Iranian nationalism and commitment to constitutional democracy, primarily aimed at claiming Iran's full sovereignty and economic independence against foreign intervention. This ideology is best defined by the policy of nationalization in 1951, which seeks to take back control of Iran's vast natural resources from the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC).

Doctrine

Economic self-determination

Mosaddegh believed that true political independence was impossible without economic independence. The nationalization 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.

Anti-imperialism and Non-Alignment

Mosaddeghism was a powerful anti-imperialist whose focus was on eliminating Britain's pervasive influence and later resisting pressure from the United States and the Soviet 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]

Social reform and justice

This ideology incorporated elements of social democracy. Mosaddegh's reforms included measures to protect industrial workers, establish compulsory unemployment insurance, and transfer land from Shah'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.

National Front

Main article: National Front (Iran)

The main political organization that propagated and implemented Mosaddeghism was the National 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]

Downfall and legacy

1953 Iranian coup d'état

Mosaddeghism was forced to end in 1953 by the U.S. CIA and British MI6 as a result of the 1953 Iranian coup d'état. His overthrow brought Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi back to absolute power and halted progressive experimentation.^[10][11]

Enduring legacy and Impact

Mosaddeghism remains one of the most important and influential political trends in modern Iranian history:^[12]

• Symbols of Resistance: Mosaddegh's image became a strong symbol of resistance against foreign rule and a martyr to Iranian democracy.
• Post-1953 Activism: the principles of Mosaddeghism continued to provoke a movement against the Shah regime, especially against the Freedom Movement of Iran, with Iran seeing itself as the successor to the National Front.
• Impact on the Iranian Revolution: Mosaddeghism is a secular ideology, but its anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist and sovereignty-seeking elements influenced the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Key figures

Early period (1950s)

• Hossein Fatemi – Minister of Foreign Affairs, a key martyr of the movement.
• Gholam Hossein Sadighi – Minister of the Interior and a prominent sociologist.

Later followers and split (1979–present)

Secular faction

• Shapour Bakhtiar – The last Prime Minister of the Pahlavi dynasty who opposed the theocracy.^[7]
• Dariush Forouhar – Founder of the Nation Party of Iran.^[b]

Religious-liberal faction

• Mehdi Bazargan – First Prime Minister after the revolution, sought to bridge Mosaddeghism with Islam.
• Karim Sanjabi – Leader of the National Front during the revolution.

See also

• Secular liberalism

Notes

1. Some Mosaddeghists like Shapour Bakhtiar opposed the Islamic Revolution,^[7] but some Mosaddeghists supported Islamic Revolution.
2. Although his party had roots in right-wing pan-Iranism, he became a staunch ally of Mosaddeghists and a symbol of secular nationalist resistance.^[13][14]

References

1. Matini, Jalal (2009). نگاهی به کارنامه سیاسی دکتر محمد مصدق [A Glance at the Political Career of Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq] (in Persian). Los Angeles, CA: Ketab Co. p. 25. ISBN 978-1595842268.
2. Bani-Jamali, Ahmad (2008). آشوب: مطالعه‌ای در زندگی و شخصیت دکتر محمد مصدق [Chaos: A Study on Life and Character of Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq] (in Persian). Tehran: Ney. pp. 146–155. ISBN 978-9643129705.
3. Houchang E. Chehabi (1990). Iranian Politics and Religious Modernism: The Liberation Movement of Iran Under the Shah and Khomeini. I.B.Tauris. p. 113. ISBN 978-1850431985.
4. Lenczowski, George. Russia and the West in Iran, 1918-1948: A Study in Big-Power Rivalry (1987).
5. Haim Bresheeth-Zabner, ed. (2020). An Army Like No Other: How the Israel Defense Forces Made a Nation. Verso Books. p. 118.
6. David A. Detomasi, ed. (30 May 2022). Profits and Power: Navigating the Politics and Geopolitics of Oil. University of Toronto Press. ... 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.
7. "Shapur Bakhtiar: Foe of Shah Hunted by Khomeini's Followers". The New York Times. 9 August 1991. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
8. Katouzian, Homa. Musaddiq and the Struggle for Power in Iran (2018 Edition).
9. Abrahamian, Ervand. Iran Between Two Revolutions (1982).
10. Mark J. Gasiorowski; Malcolm Byrne, eds. (2004). Mohammad Mosaddeq and the 1953 Coup in Iran. Syracuse University Press.
11. Stephen Kinzer, ed. (2008). All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror. Wiley.
12. Chehabi, Houchang E. Iranian Politics and Religious Modernism: The Liberation Movement of Iran Under the Shah and Khomeini (1990).
13. Abrahamian, Ervand, ed. (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton University Press. pp. 257–258.
14. Rezin, Afshin, ed. (2003). The Polycentric World of Iranian Nationalism. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 88–92.