How the White Revolution Transformed Mazandaran’s Villages

This analysis explores the distinct regional impact of the Shah’s White Revolution (Enqelāb-e Sefid) on Mazandaran, the fertile Caspian province whose lush, rain-fed villages presented a stark contrast to the arid agrarian landscapes of central and eastern Iran. As detailed in the main overview of the White Revolution, the land reform program was a nationwide policy, but its effects were profoundly mediated by local ecology, existing social structures, and economic patterns. In Mazandaran, the reforms interacted with a unique context of small-scale rice cultivation, complex horticulture, and historically stronger peasant agency, leading to outcomes that differed significantly from those in provinces like Khorasan or Kerman.