Land Reforms as a Cold War Strategy: A Study of Land Reform Projects in Iran and South Korea (Based on U.S. Documents)"

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 History Department, Humanities and Letters faculty, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.

10.22103/jic.2025.25566.1453

Abstract

This study conducts a comparative analysis of land reforms in Iran and South Korea as part of the United States' Cold War strategy to contain communism, seeking to understand the US role in their implementation and their subsequent outcomes. Relying on U.S. State Department documents and library resources, the research employs a descriptive-analytical methodology. It is premised on the hypothesis that South Korea's relative success stemmed from the organic connection between a political will oriented towards distributive justice, supporting institutional capacity, and linkage to an industrialization project. Conversely, Iran's relative failure is attributed to ruling class conflicts of interest, a hastily designed reform lacking technical support, and a disconnect from the national development program. The findings reveal that land reform in South Korea (1945-1953) distributed approximately 90% of the leased land and integrated with industrialization, led to political stability and economic growth. In contrast, Iran's land reform (1960s), implemented within the framework of the White Revolution, precipitated widespread rural migration, urban marginalization, and political instability. This resulted from its rushed execution, resistance from landlords and clerics, and lack of coordination with national development. By analyzing both internal and external factors, this research highlights the role of local conditions and geopolitical policies in determining the outcomes of these projects. It demonstrates that land reform functioned not merely as an economic project but as a strategic instrument in the Cold War, significantly shaped by US geopolitical objectives and the varying domestic contexts of the two nations.

It demonstrates that land reform functioned not merely as an economic project but as a strategic instrument in the Cold War, significantly shaped by US geopolitical objectives and the varying domestic contexts of the two nations.

Keywords

References

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DOCUMENTS

 

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Iranian Civilization Research
Volume 7, Issue 2 - Serial Number 14
December 2026
Pages 239-260

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