Document Type : Original Article
Researchers
1 Allameh Tabataba'i University
2 Allameh Tabataba'i University
3 -
Ministerial Ethics Committee
In the years leading up to the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, Iranian society faced a series of internal upheavals that exposed deep social, political, and economic divisions and highlighted the fragility of the country’s social fabric. Between 2017 and 2022, protests broke out across the country, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with a variety of issues. Economic pressures, including rampant inflation (which reached over 40% in 2022, according to the World Bank), the removal of subsidies, and sudden increases in fuel prices (for example, a 200% increase in gasoline prices in November 2019), provided the initial sparks for these unrests. These economic pressures were accompanied by broader demands for political reform, civil liberties, and cultural autonomy, particularly among marginalized groups. The nationwide protests of 2019, which began after fuel price hikes, were a turning point in this process. In such a context of division, the sudden onset of a major military conflict—such as a short but impactful war with Israel—would have been expected to further destabilize the country and push it toward collapse or widespread insurgency. However, initial evidence and social observations during the war suggest otherwise: rather than causing social collapse, the war revived a sense of national solidarity. Anecdotal reports, social media posts, and public reflections during the war suggest that many previously disaffected citizens—including critics of the government such as reformist activists or ethnic minority leaders—at least temporarily put aside their grievances and entered into a national narrative of collective defense and resistance. In this study, we seek to understand more deeply the causes of change and transformation using a questionnaire and a combined quantitative-qualitative method.