The Iranian Revolution was an Islamic revolution for freedom against the current king of Iran. It began in 1978 and lasted until 1979. The king, or shah, of Iran at the time was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The leader of the revolution was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, an Islamic Shia cleric. The revolution was aimed toward the brutal rule of the shah who tortured almost anyone who disagreed with his rule. The Iranian people were also angry with the United States since they had put the Shah in power and gave him support. The revolution became very violent to the point when U.S. embassy workers were taken hostage by Islamic clerics, and the shah had to part from Iran. As a result of the revolution, life became better for nearly every single person in Iran. Its economy, government, and culture has been stable to this day since the revolution. There were many reasons why people disagreed with the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. First of all, he was a very rich man when most of Iran at the time lived in poverty. The gap between the rich and the poor grew dramatically during his regime. Pahlavi also tried to industrialize and model Iran after secular nations in the western world. People hated this idea because it was opposite to the conservative Islamic religion. By industrializing …show more content…
For example, women were forced by Khomeini’s police to wear veils unlike the rule of the shah. During his rule, women were prohibited to wear the veils in an effort to make Iran’s culture more secular and western. Another beneficial result of the revolution was the increase of life expectancy. Before the Iranian Revolution, an average person’s lifespan was fifty-five years, after the 1970’s, the life expectancy increase to seventy years old. To this day, the people of Iran are content with all the results of the 1979
Although the 1936 decree impressed the West, it shocked all of Iran by stripping them of their Islamic ways. In other words, there were many Iranian women who could not accept the absence of the veil, because they viewed it as their identity as Muslim women. Furthermore, through his reform, Reza Shah was able to get Iranian women to expose their face and let their hair loose so that they could resemble the women of the West. In addition, after the 1936 proclamation, the only hair covering that was permitted was by Iranian men who wore European style hats. Last but not least, Reza Shah stressed the concept of a Western appearance to the point that he utilized both the military and police forces in order to forcibly remove a woman’s veil if she wore one in
While this is happening, none of the people in Iran are fully aware of how to react because the country didn’t have a leader at the time. Marjane had to experience this imperialism during her teenage years and it played a large role in her perspective. To demonstrate this in the book, it says, “‘God did not choose the king. ’[said Marjane’s father] ‘He did so!
A revolution is a large-scale rebellion with the intent to change or get rid of the current political system. The American Revolution was a fight to be free from British rule. People were tired of being controlled. The colonists of America wanted to create their own government where they could get what they left Europe for. While some may argue that the American Revolution did not change life for minorities, the American Revolution changed the political, economic, and social atmosphere and set the stage for future change.
He was a cruel and unfair ruler and the people didn't want to put up with it any longer. He began a dictatorship and the people didn't like this at all so the revolution began to drive
In result, General Mohammad-Reza seized power as a Shah and acted as an absolute monarch. The Shah was a fascist puppet of the U.S. government and used a secret police organization called SAVAK to force allegiance. The SAVAK censored media, forced intrusive surveillance, tortured and murdered opponents. In 1979, religious fundamentalists dethroned the Shah and took 66 American hostages from the U.S. embassy. The group would return the hostages in exchange for the Shah’s return to Iran in order to stand trial for his crimes.
Back during the Iranian revolution, there were two political parties that had separate factors leading to the revolution. The party that affected the revolution the most was the Shah dynasty, where Mohammad Shah inspired the white revolution which supported women 's rights and economical growth. While Mohammad Shah did lead his country away from Islamic idealism, he did allow for economical growth and social reform which still positively affects Iran today. The Shah dynasty had a monarchal power system, which allowed them to have overall power of the country.
Revolutions occur because people get tired of being oppressed. Single people, big groups of people, it doesn’t matter. Everybody has the power to make change happen. People make these changes and take risks because they believe in the possibility of a better world. Most people want to gain something out of most everything that they put effort into.
Around 40,000 people were beheaded at the guillotine during the French revolution, the Islamic revolution of Iran, on the other hand was not that violent revolution as the French. The French Revolution was an uprising of France’s poorest citizens because their king was a bad leader and in the Iranian revolution the people weren’t happy with the Shah 's rule or the whole Pahlavi rule. As both the revolutions were not happy with their leader and many people got killed. Exploring the details in both the French and the Iranian revolution we will find out there is indeed some similarities and differences. The following section will give an in-depth examination of the differences, similarities and a little bit of the
The American Revolution Revolutions are usually when a group of people come together and change something in the society. For example, the Industrial Revolution had a big impact in our modern lives. However revolution also means a full 360’ turn. Which leads to back where you started. Although usually during the revolution you go pass lots of different things, however in the end it leads you back to where you started.
Title: Not in the Crossfire: Persia and my Grandfather In the past, I wrote about my Grandfather’s admiration of the Gacaca system of truth and reconciliation. (Link) As I remember my late Grandfather, I find his complexities rather useful in understanding current events. The recent protests in Rwanda and its diaspora (#FreeKarenziKarake) are a response to the arrest by British officials of Rwandan General Karenzi Karake.
The revolution started when Khomeini began smuggling cassettes into Iran where they were duplicated and distributed. Khomeini was living in Iraq at the time and later moved to France where he could conduct interviews with news crews more freely. The Shah left Iran in January 1979. He placed Shapour Bakhitar as the new prime minister. Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran on February 1, 1979.
As the protesters and opponents to the throne came to be victorious, the true motivations and intentions of the Revolution became more visible. A new style of rule had to be reached. The establishment of Velayat-i Faqih (Sharia Law) as the ultimate authority in Iran was the central objective of the Ayatollah and his followers. The Faqih would have final say in all matters facing the government and parliament. Soon after the success of the Iranian Revolution, Islamic associations in factories, offices, schools, and military bases were organized.
I have spent 17 years of my age in Iran. I faced with constant religious persecution, unrelenting human right violations such as systematic access denial for higher education, and my home was confiscated. I always have been wondering how a system or a human being can be such self-centered and closed minded without any integrity? Then I remind myself that we all always need to examine our characteristic because it needs “improvement and discipline”, and “Freedom of will and undeviating steadiness of purpose” as mentioned in The Meditations (Aurelius, 1994). I believe that we should live our life in a way that our hero is our self in 10 years.
Kate Sherd Daniel Coffman Geography 3/16/18 Country Analysis Paper: Iran Introduction/ History: Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC. Iran used to be known as Persia until 1935 when it became known as the Islamic republic. Iran won its independence in April of 1979 following the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, led by Ayatollah Khomeini who was the founder of Iran as an Islamic Republic. He was an Iranian Shia Muslim (religious leader and politician). Following the revolution, he became the Supreme leader which he held until his death in 1989.
This allowed the corresponding wave of movements or revolutions across Eastern Europe, referred to as the ‘Revolutions of 1989’, that had swept over Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, and would move on to Romania, to thrive. Conclusion The Velvet Revolution was a mass movement of non-cooperation and strategic non-violence facilitated by a vibrant civic culture and the spirit of dissent to negotiate a peaceful regime change. It is interesting to see instances of emulation in following revolutions as well. During the Green Revolution of 2009, the Islamic Republic of Iran staged a show trial of political leaders and thinkers it accused of fomenting Enghelab -e Makhmali—that is, precisely, velvet revolution.