Keywords
Nicaragua; Iran; Libya; Religion; Socialism; Third-World
Abstract
This thesis examines the post-revolutionary trajectories of Libya, Iran, and Nicaragua to explain why some Third World revolutionary projects preserve and use elements of their founding ideology while others fragment, personalize, or diffuse over time. Rather than focusing on the causes of revolution alone, it analyzes the durability of religious-socialist ideological continuity after revolutionary upheaval. Using a (MDSD) comparative historical and institutional approach grounded in primary and secondary sources, the study evaluates five key dimensions across the cases: religious-socialist ideological fusion, religious elite loyalty, popular religious mobilization, institutional embedding of ideology, and external pressure. The findings suggest ideological continuity is not determined by revolutionary origins alone, but by how ideology is organized and reproduced within elite structures, state instructions, and social networks. Iran achieved the strongest form of continuity through centralized monopolization as a unified clerical elite absorbed socialist rhetoric into a durable theocratic state apparatus. Nicaragua follows a socially diffuse path, with Liberation Theology and participatory revolution values surviving unevenly in civil society, despite coalition fragmentation, war, and economic strain. Libya represented a more fragile, personalized pathway, where ideological continuity depended heavily on Gaddafi’s personal authority and weakened once that authority eroded. Together, the cases demonstrate the religious-socialist ideologies endure not through static preservation, but through adaptive processes shaped by institutional capacity, internal elite cohesion, and the configuration of religious authority.
Thesis Completion Year
2026
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Annabelle Conroy
College
College of Sciences
Department
School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs
Thesis Discipline
Comparative Politics
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Mohammedelamien, Noah A., "Examining The Results Of Revolutions In The Third World: A Case Study Of The Iranian, Libyan, And Nicaraguan Revolutions" (2026). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 632.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/632
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