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Originally Posted by powerclown
That is hardly a foregone conclusion. It could just as easily be hypothesized that Communist Russia was preparing to "negotiate" with Iran to secure its share of oil. Yes, the government was elected, but it's a huuuge stretch to say that modernization was foremost on the agenda of the Iranians in the 50s.
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Foremost? Depends on your parsing of the word I guess, but there is no doubt that social reforms were one the key pillars of Mossadegh's support during the period of his PMship (51-53), including ending the fuedal agriculture system that still existed in the country until that time. It was in fact the vast social reforms that were cited by the Army as a primary reason to seek his overthrow (portraying them as Communism to the British and Americans).
To be fair, the Shah continued many of these upon his return to power in 1953. Mossadegh by 1953 was assuming some authoritarian measures, including emergency powers, as a result of the myriad plots gaining momentum against him (fomented by the CIA). Thus it is not fair to present Mossadegh as a mere elected civil servant. He was fairly elected, jbut Iran was not as democratic by the time of his ouster. Of course it was still more so than at any time from 1953-1979. However, his determination to implement progressive social reform is not in question.
Josh