Iran: The Third Path

Storyline

In 1905, Iran is entrenched in protests, revolution, and civil war. Revolutionaries from across the region band together to fight against the kings of Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Imperial Russia. Democrats and Islamic conservative clergy battle it out over secular and sharia law. Women begin their fight for freedom. WWI transforms the region, it's resources, and global allies. As oil exports increase Iran's spending power, state-building initiatives bring forth a new army, but society is soon marched towards an oppressive military dictatorship. As Nazi Germany invades Russia in WWII, the landscape of Iran is transformed all over again, as new social movements come to the front. Historians from leading universities, museums, and think tanks define "the third path" of Iran's development to catch up with western superpowers, ultimately becoming one of their most severe rivals.