She further explains that the cultural, ideological, social and material factors shaping the social life and class differences in the period just prior to the revolution need to be studied in order to understand how the Iranian women's social consciousness developed and how it led them to take part in public protests. [82], Khomeini worked to unite this opposition behind him (except for the unwanted 'atheistic Marxists'),[9][83] focusing on the socio-economic problems of the Shah's government (corruption and unequal income and development),[9][84] while avoiding specifics among the public that might divide the factions[85]particularly his plan for clerical rule, which he believed most Iranians had become prejudiced against as a result of propaganda campaign by Western imperialists. Iranians celebrated the victory by embracing soldiers in the street and stuffing flowers in the barrels of their rifles. Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Background and causes of the Iranian Revolution, invasion of allied British and Soviet troops, nationalization of the Iranian oil industry, Ruhollah Khomeini's return to Iran Exile, 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire, Jimmy Carter's engagement with Ruhollah Khomeini, Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, Liberal and reform movements within Islam, March 1979 Iranian Islamic Republic referendum, 1979 Iranian Constitutional Convention election, December 1979 Iranian constitutional referendum, Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, anti-Israeli Islamist militant groups since, The policy of exporting the Islamic Revolution, Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, International Women's Day Protests in Tehran, 1979, List of modern conflicts in the Middle East, Velayat-e faqih (book by Khomeini)#Importance of Islamic Government, Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas, Hokumat-e Islami: Velayat-e faqih (book by Khomeini)#Why Islamic Government has not been established, "IRAN ii. Khomeini seized this opportunity to congratulate the Qum clergy on their peaceful opposition while he called for more demonstrations. The revolution was unusual for the surprise it created throughout the world. Up to that moment, the secular and religious protesters had been evenly matched, but after the Qom massacre, the religious opposition became the leaders of the anti-Shah movement. A recession beginning in 1975 increased tensions between the classes in Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini was invited back to Iran by the government,[7][15] and returned to Tehran to a greeting by several thousand Iranians. History is It is evident we are not. 9-10, fighting broke out between the Imperial Guard (the "Immortals"), who were still loyal to the Shah, and the pro-Khomeini faction of the Iranian Air Force. [108][134] He and the protest organizers planned a series of escalating protests during the holy Islamic month of Muharram, to culminate with massive protests on the days of Tasu'a and Ashura, the latter commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the third Shia Muslim imam. On the 11 th February 1979 Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, was overthrown as a result of the Under continued pressure he invited back Khomeini, who, upon his February 10, 1979 arrival in Qum, publicly denounced Baktiyars conciliatory regime and consolidated power in the Revolutionary Council. Culturally and religiously conservative,[92] many went on to form the core of the revolution's demonstrators and "martyrs". With superior French telephone and postal connections (compared to Iraqi ones), Khomeini's supporters flooded Iran with tapes and recordings of his sermons. On August 19, 1953, the military, backed by street protests organized and financed by the CIA, overthrew Mossadeq. "[198], The Revolutionary Guard, or Pasdaran-e Enqelab, was established by Khomeini on 5 May 1979, as a counterweight both to the armed groups of the left, and to the Shah's military. Despite the establishment of the brutal SAVAK secret police, a growing number of Iranians were increasingly turning against the Shah. [228] Most victims of the 1981 massacre were young activists aged eleven to twenty-four. The Shah quickly returned to take power and, as thanks for the American help, signed over 40 percent of Irans oil fields to U.S. companies. It is rare for a revolution to involve as much as 1 percent of a country's population; the French, Russian, and Romanian revolutions may have passed the 1 percent mark. [7][15][115][132] The Shah ordered the arrest of 100 officials from his own government for charges of corruption, including former prime minister Amir Abbas-Hoveyda and former SAVAK head Nematollah Nassiri. [7][115] The government also negotiated with moderate religious leaders such as Shariatmadari, apologizing to him for the raid on his house. Mossadeq was arrested, served three years in prison, and died under house arrest in 1967. There was also concern that a Shia-centric revolution in Iran may stimulate a similar uprising in Iraq, where the country's Sunni minority ruled over the Shia majority. As their plane took off, jubilant crowds filled the streets of Iran's cities and began tearing down statues and pictures of the Shah and his family. They tried to reform conditions after the death of the ayatollah. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [42] Other factors include the underestimation of Khomeini's Islamist movement by both the Shah's reignwho considered them a minor threat compared to the Marxists and Islamic socialists[43][44][45]and by the secularist opponents of the governmentwho thought the Khomeinists could be sidelined. [110], On 2 December 1978, the Muharram protests began. This proved to be the tipping point for the Shah, whose countrys economy was supported almost entirely by oil. On Nov. 5, the Shah ousted his moderate prime minister and installed a military government under General Gholam Reza Azhari. [108][142] Nevertheless, Huyser won out and continued to work with both the military and opposition. [109] The informal network of mosques and bazaars, which for years had been used to carry out religious events, increasingly became consolidated as a coordinated protest organization. [66] However, anti-revolutionary sources conjectured that just 32 were killed.[67]. [20], On 7 January 1978, an article titled "Iran and Red and Black Colonization" appeared in the national daily Ettela'at newspaper. They demanded the end of censorship and claimed the freedom of expression. "[112], After the revolution, many claimed that Islamist militants had started the fire. What the Shah did not expect, however, was that the White Revolution led to new social tensions that helped create many of the problems the Shah had been trying to avoid. This has united our people. Yet, by 1982 Khomeini and his supporters had crushed the rival factions, defeated local rebellions and consolidated power. For the video game based on the events, see, Tehran Ashura demonstration, 11 December 1978, Iranian 20 Rials coin monument of 3rd anniversary of Iranian Revolution, Regency Council was practically dissolved on 22 January 1979, when its head resigned to meet, Imperial Iranian Army revoked their allegiance to the throne and declared. [15], By summer, the protests had stagnated, remaining at a steady rate for four months, with about 10,000 participants in each major citywith the exception of Isfahan, where protests were larger, and Tehran, where they were smallerprotesting every 40 days. The motivations of women for being part of the revolutions were complex and varied among a plethora of religious, political and economic reasons[176] and women participating were from various classes and backgrounds. Fearful of another series of forty-day cycles, the Shah made more concessions: allowance of all parties to campaign in the next election was given, amnesty for hundreds of political prisoners was granted, and a new premier Sharif Emamiwho would be far more willing to negotiate with the oppositional religious establishmentwas appointed. According to Kurzman, scholars writing on the revolution who have mentioned this include: Researcher Emad al-Din Baghi at the Martyrs Foundation (Bonyad Shahid) counted 2,781 protesters killed in 197879, a total of 3,164 killed between 1963 and 1979. In 1978, however, anti-Shah and anti-American protests broke out in Iran and the Shah was toppled from power in 1979. [165] "Iran Iran" or "Allah Allah" chants are famous revolutionary songs. Current Iranian leader, Ali Khamenei in a Revolutionary protest in Mashhad. The war would continue for another six years during which time countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Gulf states provided financial assistance to Iraq in an effort to prevent an Iranian victory, even though their relations with Iraq were often hostile - Kuwait itself was invaded by Iraq two years after the peace agreement between Iraq and Iran was signed. Throughout the campaign, some participants strove to encourage a more Muslim way of life (tabriz) and respect the religious clerics (ulama). On 20 March 1890, the long-standing Iranian monarch Nasir al-Din Shah granted a concession to British Major G. F. Talbot for a full monopoly over the production, sale, and export of tobacco for 50 years. By the end of 1977, professionals and students had created organizations, written manifestos, and sent letters to the Imperial Palace, but had not mobilized the support of the nation. In addition to the president, the new constitution included a more powerful post of guardian jurist ruler intended for Khomeini,[212] with control of the military and security services, and power to appoint several top government and judicial officials. [300] Five of the 290 parliamentary seats are allocated to their communities.[301]. [161], The songs most closely associated with the revolution are epic ballads, composed during and in support of the Islamic Revolution and in opposition to the Pahlavi dynasty. Definition and Examples, Hezbollah: History, Organization, and Ideology, The Difference Between 'Iranian' and 'Persian', U.S. Policy in the Middle East: 1945 to 2008, Grenada Invasion: History and Significance, What Makes a Ruler a Dictator? [302] While persecution occurred before the Revolution since then more than 200 Bahs have been executed or presumed killed, and many more have been imprisoned, deprived of jobs, pensions, businesses, and educational opportunities. The event became known to foreign observers as "The Day Tehran Burned. [121][20][110][115] Within hours, Tehran broke out into a full-scale riot. Recognising that his overthrow was becoming inevitable, the Shah and his wife left Iran on January 15 for the USA. [7] While it was increasingly clear to more secular Iranians that Khomeini was not a liberal, he was widely perceived as a figurehead, and that power would eventually be handed to the secular groups.[7][115]. You have a great share in our Islamic movement. Many Iranians were upset by the Shahs administration because, even in the wake of a national oil boom, wealth was unequally distributed. Following the death of Ayatollah Boroujerdi, some of the scholars like Murtaza Mutahhari, Muhammad Beheshti and Mahmoud Taleghani found new opportunity to change conditions. [190], Khomeini and his loyalists in the revolutionary organizations implemented Khomeini's velayat-e faqih design for an Islamic republic led by himself as Supreme Leader[191] by exploiting temporary allies[192] such as Mehdi Bazargan's Provisional Government of Iran, whom they later eliminated from Iran's political stage one by one. This was rejected by Khomeini, who declared that the only condition for peace was that "the regime in Baghdad must fall and must be replaced by an Islamic republic".[258]. [263], For Israel, relations dates back to the Shah until relations were cut on 18 February 1979 when Iran adopted its anti-Zionist stance. The Shahs attempts to restore calm had no effect on the public, who continued to call for his removal. [167] Beyond rhetoric, thousands of women were also heavily mobilized in the revolution itself,[168] and different groups of women actively participated alongside their male counterparts. [5] The revolution was supported by various leftist and Islamist organizations.[6]. This alarmed many of Iran's neighbours, particularly Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia as well as Western nations dependent on Middle Eastern oil for their energy needs. [100][101] Led by the leftist intellectual Saeed Soltanpour, the Iranian Writers Association met at the Goethe Institute in Tehran to read anti-government poetry. The final collapse of the provisional non-Islamist government came at 2pm on 11 February when the Supreme Military Council declared itself "neutral in the current political disputes in order to prevent further disorder and bloodshed. Britain suspended all diplomatic relations with Iran and did not re-open their embassy in Tehran until 1988. Who overthrew the Shah of Iran? "[172], It has been argued that Khomeini and his fellow leaders danced around the issue of women's rights and rather focused their rhetoric on mobilizing women through encouraging them to participate in protests and fueling their anti-Shah sentiments. The attempt was a reaction to the secular political discourse namely Marxism, liberalism and nationalism. On September 8th 1978, over 500 people were killed by soldiers on what became known as Black Friday. His royal duties would be carried out by a Regency Council, and three months after his departure a referendum would be submitted to the people deciding on whether Iran would remain a monarchy or become a republic. The Global NonviolentAction Database is aproject of Swarthmore College, including the Peace and Conflict Studies Program, the Peace Collection, and the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility. Over the next several months, violent protests spread and were met with increasing violence from security forces. [295] Population growth was first encouraged, but discouraged after 1988. "[15] The government abolished the Rastakhiz Party, legalized all political parties and released political prisoners, increased freedom of expression, curtailed SAVAK's authority and dismissed 34 of its commanders,[110] closed down casinos and nightclubs, and abolished the imperial calendar. [93], All Iranians were required to join and pay dues to a new political party, the ezb-e Rastakhiz partyall other parties were banned. It was the most profitable British business in the world. Many western media outlets, usually critical of such claims, became one of Khomeini's most powerful tools. Popular ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani supported the left, while perhaps the most senior and influential ayatollah in IranMohammad Kazem Shariatmadarifirst remained aloof from politics and then came out in support of a democratic revolution. In turn, Shariatmadari pledged that to make sure that there would be no violence during the demonstrations. Sharif-Emami entered into negotiations with Ayatollah Shariatmadari and National Front leader Karim Sanjabi in order to help organize future elections. [10][101][108], The Shah was taken completely by surprise by the protests and,[10][21] to make matters worse, he often became indecisive during times of crisis;[7] virtually every major decision he would make backfired on his government and further inflamed the revolutionaries. E. Baqi, 'Figures for the Dead in the Revolution', Source: Letter from Amnesty International to the Shaul Bakhash, 6 July 1982. In nearly every demonstration, a few campaigners responded to police aggression with violence. The American "Operation Ajax", orchestrated by the CIA, was aided by the British MI6 in organizing a military coup d'tat to oust Mossadegh. Part of the reason for launching the White Revolution was that the Shah hoped to get rid of the influence of landlords and to create a new base of support among the peasants and working class. [307] During the reign of Reza Shah, the government mandated the removal of the veil and promoted the education of young girls. [175], There are some contesting understandings in academic literature regarding the reasons behind the mobilization of women. The Iranian regimes actions in past uprisings reflect lessons learned from the 1979 revolution that partial compromises such as those with which the shah experimented before A subsequent memorial service for Mostafa in Tehran put Khomeini back in the spotlight. [17][18] Iranian people voted in a national referendum to become an Islamic republic on 1 April 1979[19] and to formulate and approve a new theocratic-republican constitution[9][10][20][21] whereby Khomeini became supreme leader of the country in December 1979. The Shah, Iran's ruler for nearly four decades, had fled the country. Jones, Milo L., and Philippe Silberzahn. "[181] Janet Baur argues the necessity of examining the daily lives of women, their living conditions and their relationship to other groups in order to understand their participation in the socio-political events of the revolution. Although the constitutional revolution was successful in weakening the autocracy of the Qajar regime, it failed to provide a powerful alternative government. [34][36] It also suffered from some basic functional failures that brought economic bottlenecks, shortages, and inflation. [230][231] These dissidents were sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Courts during show trials in more than eighty-five cities across the country on charges of spreading "corruption on Earth" (ifsad-fi-alarz), "espionage", "terrorism", or "enmity against Allah" (Moharebeh). Working with pro-Shah forces and, most importantly, the Iranian military, the CIA cajoled, threatened, and bribed its way into influence and helped to organize another coup attempt against Mossadeq. When banned from holding demonstrations, University of Tehran activists stood in silence in front of their library, quietly agitating for freedom of speech. [121][108] Martial law was declared in the city on 11 August as symbols of Western culture and government buildings were burned, and a bus full of American workers was bombed. [103][104] The mourning of Mostafa was given a political cast by Khomeini's political credentials, their enduring opposition to the monarchy and their exile. Both beginning and ending in the month of Muharram, the protests succeeded, and the Shah stepped down from power later that month. [325], The value of Iran's currency declined precipitously after the revolution. [112][101] Revolutionaries gave flowers and civilian clothes to deserters, while threatening retribution to those who stayed. Many Iranians were upset by the Shahs administration because, even in the wake of a national oil boom, wealth was unequally distributed. Religious leaders (ulama) such as Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Shariatmadari were the most critical figures in rallying support for the revolution. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Shiite [7][8] This led[vague] to the 1963 White Revolution and the arrest and exile of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1964. lack of corruption) for its 2014 index;[319] and the IRI was ranked 130th out of the 189 countries surveyed in the World Bank 2015 Doing Business Report. Bah holy places have been confiscated, vandalized, or destroyed. The British, however, were outraged and accused him of stealing. [249] Despite these and other assassinations[203] the hoped-for mass uprising and armed struggle against the Khomeiniists was crushed. To conciliate the millions of protesters, he freed more than 1000 political prisoners and allowed the arrest of 132 former government officials, including the hated former chief of the SAVAK. "[236], After each revolution several thousand of these corrupt elements are executed in public and burnt and the story is over. In 1953, the American CIA helped to overthrow a democratically elected prime minister in Iran and restore the Shah to his throne. [157][Note 5] Khomeini reported of a much larger number; he said that "60,000 men, women and children were martyred by the Shah's regime. [91] By mid-1977 economic austerity measures to fight inflation disproportionately affected the thousands of poor and unskilled male migrants settling in the cities working in the construction industry. The Shah also gave a public address in which he stated that he heard the people's "revolutionary message." ", Away from public view, Khomeini developed the ideology of velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist) as government, that Muslimsin fact everyonerequired "guardianship," in the form of rule or supervision by the leading Islamic jurist or jurists. Prime Minister This period, from 1 to 11 February, is celebrated every year in Iran as the "Decade of Fajr. Following the events of the revolution, Marxist guerrillas and federalist parties revolted in some regions comprising Khuzistan, Kurdistan and Gonbad-e Qabus, which resulted in fighting between them and revolutionary forces. [247] Leaders of the Freedom Movement of Iran were compelled to make and publicly broadcast apologies for supporting the Front's appeal. [175], The contributions of women to the revolutions and the intentions behind these contributions are complex and layered. In addition, the Shah's reforms, particularly those concerning the rights of women, angered Shia clerics such as Ayatollah Khomeini, who fled into exile in Iraq and later France beginning in 1964. On 20 January 1953, U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and his brother, C.I.A. The Shah increasingly felt that he was losing control of the situation and hoped to regain it through complete appeasement. The 1971 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire at Persepolis, organized by the government, was attacked for its extravagance. However Iran was "galvanized"[257] by the invasion and the populace of Iran rallied behind their new government in an effort to repel the invaders. Nafisi, Azar. [293][294] Maternal and infant mortality rates have also been cut significantly. As Khomeini explained to his future President Banisadr, "This action has many benefits. [171] There were also other groups of women with various agendas that sometimes converged and sometimes diverged from the Islamic Republic's political positions. Khomeini returned to Iran two weeks later. [113] As result, police forces were unable to control demonstrations, thus the army was frequently deployed. "[158][159][160] In reference to this 60,000 figure, the military historian Spencer C. Tucker notes that "Khomeini's regime grossly overstated the revolution's death toll for propaganda purposes". [108], More than 10% of the country marched in anti-Shah demonstrations on the two days, possibly a higher percentage than any previous revolution. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-iranian-revolution-of-1979-195528 (accessed December 7, 2022). Although the British were initially turned down in their request for American support by President Truman, the election of Dwight D. Eisenhower as U.S. president in November 1952 changed the American stance toward the conflict. Ultimately only the Lebanese Islamists succeeded. Khomeini immediately declared that "4,000 innocent protesters were massacred by Zionists," which gave him a pretext to reject any further compromise with the government. 5 Shortly after this Khomeini returned and took control of the country as the Workers went on industrial strikes throughout the summer, demanding health insurance, bonuses, and wage increases. He played down his intention to establish an Islamic government, focusing instead on his desire to overthrow the Shah. On 28 December, he secured an agreement with another major National Front figure, Shahpour Bakhtiar. [7], On 19 August, in the southwestern city of Abadan, four arsonists barred the door of the Cinema Rex movie theatre and set it on fire. Several events in the 1970s set the stage for the 1979 revolution. At the same time, events that made up both the crisis and its resolution were the Iran hostage crisis, the invasion of Iran by Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and the presidency of Abolhassan Banisadr.[182][184]. [177] The Iranian government has had to reconsider and change aspects of its policies towards women because of their resistance to laws that restrict their rights.[177]. Sharif Emami came to an agreement with opposition leaders for the celebration of Eid al-Fitr (the feast at the end of Ramadan). However these reforms, known as the White Revolution were interpreted by some as pandering to Western ideals that went against Irans traditions. I have the support of 700,000 troops, most of the people and all of the workers. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, June 1978. Some of the army troops sent in to quell the protests began to defect to the protesters' side. The new constitution was also approved overwhelmingly by the December 1979 constitutional referendum, but with more opposition[Note 7] and smaller turnout. This both angered his followers, who considered him a martyr at the hands of SAVAK, and removed a potential revolutionary rival to Khomeini. [115] Nevertheless, the government reported at least 12 opposition deaths. He was ill with cancer and seldom appeared in public. In November 1964, Khomeini was re-arrested and sent into exile where he remained for 15 years (mostly in Najaf, Iraq), until the revolution. [205], Also enforcing the will of the government were the Hezbollahi (the Party of God), "strong-arm thugs" who attacked demonstrators and offices of newspapers critical of Khomeini.[206]. Then, late in October of 1977, the Ayatollah Khomeini's 47-year-old son Mostafa died suddenly of a heart attack. Many women protested while carrying children and their presence was one of the main reasons for disarming soldiers (who were there on behalf of the regime) who were ordered to shoot if necessary. [15][101][115], Worse for the Shah was that the Western media, especially the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), immediately put Khomeini into the spotlight. Block after block of Western symbols such as movie theaters and department stores, as well as government and police buildings, were seized, looted, and burned. Sanjabi and the two other leaders of the National FrontForuhar and Bakhtiyaralso accused the Shah of wrecking the economy by neglecting agriculture. and "The Shah is the guilty one! More than this is intolerable, either for me or for you or for any other Iranian. It led to an incident in which army commandos opened fire on Ayatollah Shariatmadari's house, killing one of his students. [101][116], As early as the February riots in Tabriz, the Shah fired all SAVAK officials in the city as a concession to the opposition, and soon began to dismiss civil servants and government officials whom he felt the public blamed. [308] They were encouraged by Ayatollah Khomeini to join him in overthrowing the Pahlavi dynasty. The growing dissatisfaction continued until the Constitutional Revolution of 19051911. [69], Most importantly, Khomeini preached that revolt, and especially martyrdom, against injustice and tyranny was part of Shia Islam,[71] and that Muslims should reject the influence of both liberal capitalism and communism, ideas that inspired the revolutionary slogan "Neither East, nor West Islamic Republic! [9][10][11] The protests rapidly intensified in 1978 as a result of the burning of Rex Cinema which was seen as the trigger of the revolution,[12][13] and between August and December that year, strikes and demonstrations paralyzed the country. [113] Revolutionaries took over government buildings, TV and radio stations, and palaces of the Pahlavi dynasty, marking the end of the monarchy in Iran. One European newspaper, the Frankfurter Neue Presse, reported that Mosaddegh "would rather be fried in Persian oil than make the slightest concession to the British." On 30 and 31 March (Farvardin 10, 11) a referendum was held over whether to replace the monarchy with an "Islamic republic". After the 1953 Iranian coup d'tat, Pahlavi had aligned with the United States and the Western Bloc to rule more firmly as an authoritarian monarch. [64], The post-revolutionary leaderShia cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeinifirst came to political prominence in 1963 when he led opposition to the Shah and his White Revolution. [265] Relations between the two countries became improved after Vladimir Putin took office in 2000 and increasingly warmer in recent years following an international backlash over the annexation of Crimea in 2014 which led to sanctions by the Western powers. The Iranian Revolution (Persian: , romanized:Enqelb-e Irn, pronounced[eelbe in]), also known as the Islamic Revolution (Persian: , romanized:Enqelb-e Eslm),[4] was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and the replacement of his government with an Islamic republic under the rule of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a leader of one of the factions in the revolt. [94] That party's attempt to fight inflation with populist "anti-profiteering" campaignsfining and jailing merchants for high prices angered and politicized merchants while fueling black markets. [7], When news of the Shah's departure was announced, there were spontaneous scenes of joy throughout the country. The US was intent on keeping the Shah in place in Iran, however, as a bulwark against the Soviet Union. [307] Women fought back against these changes, and as activist and writer Mahnaz Afkhami writes, "The regime succeeded in putting women back in the veil in public places, but not in resocializing them into fundamentalist norms. Men and women are not allowed to dance or swim with each other. [237], In December the moderate Islamic party Muslim People's Republican Party (MPRP) and its spiritual leader Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari had become a rallying point for Iranians who wanted democracy not theocracy. The next day, theology students in the city of Qom exploded in angry protests; security forces put down the demonstrations but killed at least seventy students in just two days. He ordered the army to allow mass demonstrations, promised free elections and invited the revolutionaries into a government of "national unity". [112][115], Iran's security forces had not received any riot-control training nor equipment since 1963. The coup transformed Irans constitutional monarchy, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, into a royal dictatorship that was later toppled in a popular revolution in 1979. [307] However, the push-back of the Shii clerics made progress difficult, and the government had to contain its promotion of basic women's rights to the norms of the patriarchal social hierarchy in order to accommodate the clerics. Approximately 400 people were killed in the blaze. [47] While the moderate Bazargan and his government (temporarily) reassured the middle class, it became apparent they did not have power over the "Khomeinist" revolutionary bodies, particularly the Revolutionary Council (the "real power" in the revolutionary state),[195][196] and later the Islamic Republican Party. Likewise, there are discrepancies between casualty figures in different sources. [7][141], The Shah, hoping to see Bakhtiar established, kept delaying his departure. In December, a giant wave of demonstrators shouted, God is Great from their rooftops. Chaos increased in September with the Black Friday incident. [72] Such rule was ultimately "more necessary even than prayer and fasting" in Islam,[Note 2] as it would protect Islam from deviation from traditional sharia law and in so doing eliminate poverty, injustice, and the "plundering" of Muslim land by foreign non-believers. These revolts began in April 1979 and lasted between several months to over a year, depending on the region. [307] Women also asserted themselves in the arts, literature, education, and politics. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance rejected a military crackdown;[108] he and his supporters believed in the "moderate and progressive" intentions of Khomeini and his circle. The students held 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days, which played a role in helping to pass the constitution, suppressing moderates, and otherwise radicalising the revolution. On May 1, 1960, Powers took off from Pakistan at the controls of an ultra-sophisticated Lockheed U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Some important clergy did not follow Khomeini's lead. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-iranian-revolution-of-1979-195528. Particularly controversial was the replacement of Islamic laws with Western ones and the forbidding of traditional Islamic clothing, separation of the sexes, and veiling of women's faces with the niqab. [115][132] He stated he would begin to work with the opposition to bring democracy, and would form a coalition government. [163] According to Tucker's estimations, in the period of 1980 to 1985, between 25,000 and 40,000 Iranians were arrested, 15,000 Iranians were tried and 8,000 to 9,500 Iranians were executed. The future of our country depends on your support. 200) that the laws of the Parthian Empire were tolerant towards homosexual behaviour, and Persian men were known to "indulge in intercourse with males." Fearing further mutinies, many soldiers were returned to their barracks. According to the government, 2 were killed in the clash; according to the opposition, 70 were killed and over 500 were injured. Your email address will not be published. On 4 November 1979 youthful Islamists, calling themselves Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, invaded the US embassy compound in Tehran and seized its staff. The Global NonviolentAction Database is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationallicense unless otherwise noted. For example, "the combination of martial law with its curfew hours and the closing down of shops and workplaces, together with the cold of the fall and winter months resulted in the centers of political discussion often being within the home. "[152][153] All military personnel were ordered back to their bases, effectively yielding control of the entire country to Khomeini. Throughout the 1970s, as Iran reaped enormous profits from oil production, a gap widened between the wealthy (many of whom were relatives of the Shah) and the poor. Iran's Sunni minority (about 8%) has seen some unrest. Hussein believed that victory would therefore come swiftly. MIDDLE EAST IMAGES/AP. The shah of Iran is really to be credited for a lot of the modernization, and progressive and forward-thinking approaches to create a modern country, a country that was going to look Suspension of social and sports activities, 141. [322] GDP per capita (nominal) has grown from $2290 in 1979 to $5470 in 2016. Finally, on the 11th February the Supreme Military Council ordered all troops back to their barracks, effectively handing control to Khomeini and his supporters. Quoted in. His father died in a car accident before he was born, and young Bill later took the last name of his stepfather, Roger Clinton. This is addressed in a separate post at https://www.mrallsophistory.com/revision/why-did-iranian-students-storm-the-us-embassy-in-tehran.html, Your email address will not be published. [289][290], Literacy has continued to increase under the Islamic Republic. [259][260] While enormously costly and destructive, the war "rejuvenate[d] the drive for national unity and Islamic revolution" and "inhibited fractious debate and dispute" in Iran. [314], Iran is currently one of the world's only jurisdictions to actively execute gay men. [7][15][132] He referred to himself as Padeshah ('Master King'), instead of the more grandiose Shahanshah (king of kings), which he insisted on being called previously. Our opponents do not dare act against us. ", "Why the Iranian Revolution Was Non-Violent", "Iran's Islamic Revolution: Lessons for the Arab Spring of 2011? [173] Members of the Women's Organization of Iran marched in support for the revolution and it was important that women very much linked to the government also turned against the Shah's regime. In the first phase of the revolution, much of the nonviolent resistance arose from the creativity of the students. At the centre of Iraq's objectives was the annexation of the East Bank of the Shaat Al-Arab waterway that makes up part of the border between the two nations and which had been the site of numerous border skirmishes between the two countries going back to the late 1960s. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! "[182] After the system of despotic monarchy had been overthrown,[183] the economy and the apparatus of government had collapsed, and military and security forces were in disarray. Strikers brought bazaars, schools, government ministries, and the oil industry virtually to a standstill. A series of escalating protests broke out in major cities, and deadly riots broke out in Isfahan where protesters fought for the release of Ayatollah Jalaluddin Taheri. Szczepanski, Kallie. At this point, the Shah left the country for medical reasons. While British intelligence backed away from the debacle, the CIA continued its covert operations in Iran. Panicking, the Shah quickly recruited a new, moderate prime minister from within opposition ranks, but he refused to do away with the SAVAK or release all political prisoners. Permits were issued for the marchers, and troops were removed from the procession's path. [307] Additionally, women achieved the right to vote in 1963. A CIA analysis in August concluded that Iran "is not in a revolutionary or even a pre-revolutionary situation. Khomeini immediately blamed the Shah and SAVAK for setting the fire, and,[10][101][123] due to the pervasive revolutionary atmosphere, the public also blamed the Shah for starting the fire, despite the government's insistence that they were uninvolved. Prime Minister of the Interim Government. "Iran jumped overnight from the Muslim year 1355 to the royalist year 2535. [141][144], Bakhtiar invited Khomeini back to Iran, with the intention of creating a Vatican-like state in the holy city of Qom, declaring that "We will soon have the honor of welcoming home the Ayatollah Khomeini". [129] After forcing the resignation of the presiding judges in an attempt to hamper the investigation, the new government finally executed Hossein Talakhzadeh for "setting the fire on the Shah's orders," despite his insistence that he did it on his own accord as an ultimate sacrifice for the revolutionary cause. [25], Much of Iranian society was in euphoria about the coming revolution. The telegram effectively declared his belief that the Shah would not survive the protests and that the US should consider withdrawing its support for his government and persuading the monarch to abdicate. A wave of strikes in late 1978 shut down the Iranian economy, with peaks on October 6 (when Khomeini was expelled to Paris) and October 16 (the fortieth day after Black Friday). However, the Shah also ruthlessly suppressed dissent, jailing and torturing his political opponents. [208] Leftists found the draft too conservative and in need of major changes but Khomeini declared it 'correct'. His actions brought him into conflict with the pro-Western elites of Iran and the Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlevi. [7], Street demonstrations continued at full force with little response from the military; by late October, government officials effectively even ceded the University of Tehran to student protesters. [110][133] He apologized for mistakes that were committed during his reign, and promised to ensure that corruption would no longer exist. Working with Shah, the CIA and British intelligence began to engineer a plot to overthrow Mossadeq. On Febr. Iran borders on the then-Soviet Republic of Turkmenistanand was seen as a potential target for communist expansion. This is not an ordinary government. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005. They are not allowed to publish newspapers. ThoughtCo. In a 1979 interview with The New York Times, a journalist asked Khomeini to justify the state-sanctioned shootings of homosexuals. [110], However, the government still continued the policy of appeasement and negotiation. [97], Also in 1977, the popular and influential modernist Islamist theorist Ali Shariati died under mysterious circumstances. [10][21][115] In the first national concession, he replaced the hardline SAVAK chief General Nematollah Nassiri with the more moderate General Nasser Moghaddam. The Iranian Revolution of 1979. The overthrow of the Shah in the Iranian Revolution, 1979. Their resentment towards the Shah also grew as they were now stripped of organizations that had represented them in the past, such as political parties, professional associations, trade unions, and independent newspapers. [110], On 10 and 11 December 1978, the days of Tasu'a and Ashura, between 6 and 9 million anti-Shah demonstrators marched throughout Iran. Iranian police as well as SAVAK, the Shahs secret police, often cracked down on demonstrations and strikes by shooting at protesters. Khomeini called for a massive turnout[207] and only the National Democratic Front, Fadayan, and several Kurdish parties opposed the vote. [37] The Shah was perceived by many as beholden toif not a puppet ofa non-Muslim Western power (i.e., the United States)[38][39] whose culture was affecting that of Iran. Poets formed a Writers Association to call for an end to censorship and the activity of SAVAK, the Shahs secret police. No one can overthrow me. On 11 December, a dozen officers were shot dead by their own troops at Tehran's Lavizan barracks. Other shortcomings of the previous regime. "[307] After the revolution, women often had to work hard to support their families as the post-revolutionary economy suffered. Despite the opposition leaders efforts to dampen the militancy of the demonstrations, the protestors increased their level of enthusiasm and radicalism over the next few days. Initially, protestors wanted to reestablish 1906-1909 laws that created a constitutional monarchy. [7][15], Under the Shah's guidance, Sharif-Emami effectively began a policy of "appeasing the opposition's demands before they even made them. [171] Caroline M. Brooks argues that women were left to express their concerns through the protest rather than in the Majlis. The Shah's reforms more than quadrupled the combined size of the two classes that had posed the most challenges to his monarchy in the pastthe intelligentsia and the urban working class. Censorship is handled by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, without whose official permission, "no books or magazines are published, no audiotapes are distributed, no movies are shown and no cultural organization is established. [10][101] He decided to appoint Jafar Sharif-Emami to the post of prime minister, himself a veteran prime minister. Many Iranians were also angered by the fact that the Shah's family was the foremost beneficiary of the income generated by oil, and the line between state earnings and family earnings blurred. [176], Some argue that this politicization and mobilization of women made it difficult for the new regime to push them out of the public and political spheres. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. In September 1980, Iraq took advantage of the febrile situation and invaded Iran. The opposition was not mollified. Like his father, the Shah's government was known for its autocracy, its focus on modernization and Westernization, and for its disregard for religious[citation needed] and democratic measures in Iran's constitution. Reaffirming himself as the legitimate leader, he declared that: Iran has one government. [312] During the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a faux same-sex wedding occurred between two young men with ties to the royal court, which became a source of shame and outrage for some citizens and was utilized by Islamists as further evidence of the "immoral" monarchy. Again, Khomeini and Shariatmadari encouraged Iranians to attend services forty days later, on May 10. Instead, the plan backfired badly. In Tabriz, after a police officer shot a teenage protestor, angered demonstrators began to attack particular kinds of property that symbolized either the Pahlevi state (police stations and Resurgence party offices) or un-Islamic values (luxury hotels and liberal movie houses). On 16 January 1979, the Shah left Iran and went into exile as the last Persian monarch, leaving his duties to a regency council and Shapour Bakhtiar, who was an opposition-based prime minister. [7][131] The Shah chose General Gholam-Reza Azhari to be prime minister because of his mild-mannered approach to the situation. [116][138], Increasing contact was established with the pro-Khomeini camp. The British considered an armed invasion, but UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill decided on a coup after being refused American military support by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, who sympathized with nationalist movements like Mosaddegh's and had nothing but contempt for old-style imperialists like those who ran the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. In early March 1979, Khomeini announced, "do not use this term, 'democratic.' 113. [177] Many Western educated upper-middle-class women from secular, urban and professional families were involved as well as many women from working-class and rural backgrounds. 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