scientific journal Political Sociology of the Islamic Revolution

Abstract The Second Step of the Revolution Statement, serving as the Islamic Republic’s roadmap for the coming decades, is fundamentally rooted in theological thought and faith-based conviction. This research aims to precisely analyze the role of theology in the conceptual structure and discourse of this statement, employing a descriptive-analytical method combined with qualitative content analysis. Key findings indicate that concepts such as faith (Iman), reliance on God (Tawakkul), hope, justice, spirituality, and anticipation (Intizar) form the theological framework of the statement, clarifying the civilization-building axis of the Revolution. Theology in this text is not merely a moral tool, but functions as the theoretical foundation of revolutionary identity and the driving force for social transformation. The findings strongly emphasize that monotheistic theology provides the necessary ground for connecting the younger generation with the aspiration of the Islamic New Civilization, playing a key role in giving meaning and dynamism to the revolutionary discourse. Consequently, theology in the Second Step Statement is considered not a peripheral element, but the core and identity-shaping axis of the Islamic Revolution’s discourse.

Abstract In the thought of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the "New Islamic Civilization" is not merely an idealistic slogan but an operational strategy grounded in a five-stage progression: Revolution, System, Government, Society, and Civilization. Aiming to elucidate the role of political progress in realizing this civilizational goal, this study employs a descriptive-analytical method—drawing upon the Leader's statements, upstream documents, and authoritative sources—to address the question of the status of "political progress" within his intellectual framework and how it leads to the realization of the New Islamic Civilization. The findings indicate that, from this perspective, political progress is a value-laden, teleological process that harnesses political power in the service of justice, independence, religious democracy, ethics, and efficiency. Accordingly, political progress constitutes a vital link in the chain of civilization-building; without it, achieving the New Islamic Civilization would be impossible. Ultimately, the study concludes that the model of political progress in the Supreme Leader's thought transcends the dichotomies common in development theories, offering an indigenous framework for assessing and evaluating progress within the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Abstract Social justice has been a long-standing demand in Iran's contemporary history, which entered Iran's political culture since the constitutional revolution and under the left discourse. During the second Pahlavi period, the desire for justice was strongly intertwined with political trends and found deep connections with the issue of political legitimacy. This led to the delegitimization of the established regime with a justice-seeking approach and the use of justice policy as a sociological source of legitimacy in the alternative system. In the following article, the mentioned historical process is analyzed with a sociological approach and descriptive and analytical method. The article aims to answer the question that how the distributive justice policy directed towards the poor, became one of the most important sources of legitimacy in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The findings of the research indicate that the aforementioned policy is not the exclusive creation of the Islamic Republic, but rather the product of a historical process that the majority of contemporary Iranian political forces have played a role in creating it. The Islamic Republic of Iran has had the opportunity to take advantage of this legitimizing source due to its wide base among the lower classes since its establishment.Analyzing the link between political legitimacy and social justice as a historical matter, from before to after the revolution, is the main goal of this research.