Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part I. Introduction and theocracy: Iran's dilemma -- Alternative routes to democracy: synthesizing structures and processes -- Part II. Revolution and the political economy of theocracy: Ideologies, revolution, and the formation of theocracy -- Politicizing the economy and declining performance -- Failure to reform and return to repression -- Part III. Challenges against the Islamic regime: Students: the vanguard of struggles for democracy -- The rise and demise of the Green movement -- Part IV. Irreconcilable conflicts -- Why the movement failed -- Irreconcilable conflicts and endless repression -- The path forward.

Democracy in Iran examines democratization movements and processes in Iran over the last few decades, explains the causes of their failure, and suggests possible route to successful democratization. The book proposes a new framework for analyzing routes for democratization in the context of extremely authoritarian regimes in developing countries, specifically, the Islamic Republic of Iran. The new framework specifies the relevant variables in the economic, political, ideological, and social conditions of developing countries that determine alternative paths to democratization.-- Provided by publisher