Full Description:
SAVAK was the iron fist of the Pahlavi dynasty. Tasked with rooting out dissent, it utilized a pervasive network of informants and employed systematic torture against political prisoners, including Marxists, Islamists, and student activists. Its primary function was to ensure the security of the regime against any internal threat.

Critical Perspective:
Crucially, SAVAK represents the external support for authoritarianism. Because it was established and trained by Western intelligence agencies to prevent a communist takeover, it served as a constant reminder to the Iranian people that their government was kept in power by foreign force, not popular will. The brutality of SAVAK radicalized the opposition, making peaceful reform impossible.