Army of Knowledge

Army of Knowledge

Its Functions and Outcomes Abstract Simultaneously with the elimination of Mohammad Reza Shah's domestic rivals from the political arena of Iran in the early 1960s, and despite the Shah's inner reluctance, the plan for the Shah and the people’s White Revolution was imposed on him to ensure Iran's continued presence in the Western camp. Although he was initially very reluctant to accept it, he ultimately had to carry it out. However, once he was compelled to proceed, he attempted to register it in his name, while various principles of the plan were being devised by others, and it is quite possible that the Shah did not initially agree with them either. Among these principles, one of the most important, namely Principle Six, was implemented under the name of the Army of Knowledge in 1962, and despite all the obstacles and challenges it faced, it was eventually operationalized. According to this plan, rural communities with limited access to educational facilities were to be educated by teacher-soldiers dispatched from the center. This initiative was pursued and executed simultaneously by the two ministries of Culture and War, divided into sections for boys and girls. The main question is to what extent the final outcome of this plan was able to fulfill the initial desires of its founders. It seems that despite all the extensive propaganda carried out by the Pahlavi regime in this regard, the plan ultimately not only failed to achieve the necessary successes but also caused widespread social harms.

Shideh / M. Sadeghani