Womens rights were stripped away and, in my opinion, women are seen helpless in that area of the world. In November, young supporters of Khomeini, angered by U.S. support of the Shah, stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 66 hostages. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. People accompanying Khomeini from Mehrabad to Behesht Zahra. "[286] To honor the 40th anniversary of revolution around 50,000 prisoners were forgiven by order Ali Khamenei to receive "Islamic clemency". Along with political criticism, he also received religious criticism from people who thought westernization contradicted Islam.2This is what would later lead to the shahs overthrow by Ruhollah Khomeini and his followers. [234][235][236] When protests were organized by the National Democratic Front (NDF), Khomeini angrily denounced them saying, "we thought we were dealing with human beings. The pro-Western Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was determined to drag the country into the 20th-century, and photographs of 1970s Tehran give the outward appearance that it was little different from Washington or New York. Hence, no widespread anti-government attempts were organized by clergy during the rule of Reza Shah. Although these bodies are subordinate to theocracy which has veto power over who can run for parliament (or Islamic Consultative Assembly) and whether its bills can become law they have more power than equivalent organs in the Shah's government. Learn More Women In Iran Learn about women in Iran before and after 1979 Learn More Iranian Culture In an interview the crown prince had accused the Iranian government of being resistant to change, he stated, Iran needs an overall change. "[173], 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. 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. People celebrating Shah's exit from the country. [178] Women's resistance included remaining in the work force in large numbers and challenging Islamic dress by showing hair under their head scarves. What does January 1 signify in Lincolns legacy? Here are photos of Iranian society prior to the 1979 revolution. [110] 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. '[149] Crowds were now known to chant "Islam, Islam, Khomeini, We Will Follow You," and even "Khomeini for King. [18], The Cultural Revolution Headquarters was established June 12, 1980, and charged by Ayatollah Khomeini with making sure that the cultural policy of the universities was based on Islam, that selected professors were "efficient, committed and vigilant," and dealing with other issues relevant to the Islamic academic revolution. The council controls the affairs of the universities and their students by supervising the selection of applicants to the university and by controlling the formation of collegiate institutions. [11][12] The headquarters deleted certain courses such as music as "fake knowledge," and committees "came to similar conclusions concerning all subjects in the humanities such as law, political sciences, economy, psychology, education and sociology". Outlets for political participation were minimal, and opposition parties such as the National Front (a loose coalition of nationalists, clerics, and noncommunist left-wing parties) and the pro-Soviet Tdeh (Masses) Party were marginalized or outlawed. [27] In addition to these, the Iranian Revolution sought the spread of Shia Islam across the Middle East through the ideological tenets of Khomeinism particularly as a means of uprooting the region's status quo, which favoured Sunni Islam. [6][142], The Shah, hoping to see Bakhtiar established, kept delaying his departure. The Shah's White Revolution program of modernization was welcomed by affluent, educated city society but it largely failed among the country's predominantly rural population. One student was reportedly lynched, and according to a British correspondent, the campus was left looking like an `a combat zone.` The next day, Hezbollahis ransacked left-wing student offices at Shiraz University. The government's process of censoring foreign influences has not been without consequences. Iranian Culture Pre-Islamic Revolution By: Gabriel Godwin, Miranda Clark, Courtney Hurtn, Zehra Quadr sports men at the age of 24 participated in these sports the popular sports were wrestling, skiing, polo, and soccer. Iran was also struggling to find replacement parts for much of its US- and British-supplied equipment. [109] Encouraged by Khomeini (who declared that the blood of martyrs must water the "tree of Islam"),[101] radicals pressured the mosques and moderate clergy to commemorate the deaths of the students, and used the occasion to generate protests. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider ", Another aspect was that many teachers, engineers, economists, doctors, and technocrats left Iran to escape the Cultural Revolution. 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. This White Revolution included many new developments, such as land reform, an expanded road, rail, and air network, and the eradication of diseases such as malaria. [278] Others claim the devastating IranIraq War "mortally wounded the ideal of spreading the Islamic revolution,"[185] or that the Islamic Republic's pursuit of an ideological rather than a "nationalist, pragmatic" foreign policy has weakened Iran's "place as a great regional power". Both beginning and ending in the month of Muharram, the protests succeeded, and the Shah stepped down from power later that month. [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. [122], The Shah did not attempt to crack down on strikers,[111] but instead gave them generous wage increases, and allowed strikers who lived in government housing to remain in their homes. [308] More organization of women's groups occurred in the 1960s and 70s, and they used the government's modernization to define and advocate for women's issues. [176], There are some contesting understandings in academic literature regarding the reasons behind the mobilization of women. On 28 December, he secured an agreement with another major National Front figure, Shahpour Bakhtiar. Secular and leftist politicians piled onto the movement hoping to gain power in the aftermath, ignoring the fact that Khomeini was the very antithesis to all of the positions they supported. [66] However, anti-revolutionary sources conjectured that just 32 were killed.[67]. [172], Ayatollah Khomeini asserted that "You ladies here have proved that you are at the forefront of this movement. [172], Women who were activists, religious women and women dissatisfied with the regime were able to unite under the anti-Shah umbrella. [308], Women especially those from traditional backgrounds participated on a large scale in demonstrations leading up to the revolution. Nafisi, Azar. Tens of thousands of students studied in the West, and the shah opened the country to international culture. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The United States would then help assemble a coalition of pro-Western military officers, middle class professionals, and moderate clergy, with Khomeini installed as a Gandhi-like spiritual leader. Iran was under constant US unilateral sanctions, which were tightened under the presidency of Bill Clinton. "[63] The White Revolution's economic "trickle-down" strategy also did not work as intended. [116], On 9 September, 700 workers at Tehran's main oil refinery went on strike, and on 11 September, the same occurred at refineries in five other cities. Tehran's martial law commander was General Gholam-Ali Oveissi, who was known for his severity against opponents. This group of seven (in 1980-83) and then 17 (in 1984) that was later expanded to 36 in 1999 was expected to compile and organize all the cultural policies of the country. There was even gender segregation on public transportation on which there were fewer seats even available for women. [238], 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. It is much more than just the veil, but its about the freedom of expression, which can come in many forms; be it from deciding to indulge in listening to the Beatles, to even the decision to play a game of UNO. [208] In succession the National Democratic Front was banned in August 1979, the provisional government was disempowered in November, the Muslim People's Republican Party was banned in January 1980, the People's Mujahedin of Iran guerrillas came under attack in February 1980, a purge of universities started in March 1980, and the liberal Islamist President Abolhassan Banisadr was impeached in June 1981. The clergy first showed itself to be a powerful political force in opposition to the monarchy with the 1891 Tobacco Protest. [15] By 11 February 1979, the monarchy was officially brought down and Khomeini assumed leadership over Iran while guerrillas and rebel troops overwhelmed Pahlavi loyalists in armed combat. [306] Reports of torture, imprisonment of dissidents, and the murder of prominent critics have been made by human rights groups. They led to a chasm between the monarchy and powerful Muslim clerics -- among them the popular Ayatollah Khomeini -- and would eventually lead to the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Hussein believed that victory would therefore come swiftly. The shah, weakened by cancer and stunned by the sudden outpouring of hostility against him, vacillated between concession and repression, assuming the protests to be part of an international conspiracy against him. The implementation of these new policies sparked the beginnings of the well-known Iranian Revolution. Khomeini was released after eight months of house arrest and continued his agitation, condemning Iran's close cooperation with Israel and its capitulations, or extension of diplomatic immunity, to American government personnel in Iran. [61][62] Thus, the White Revolution in Iran was an attempt to introduce reform from above and preserve traditional power patterns. While women themselves were often killed, tortured, arrested or injured and some were involved in guerilla activities, most contributed in non-violent ways. On the other side of the ledger, at least one observer argues that despite great effort and expense the only countries outside Iran the revolution had a "measure of lasting influence" on are Lebanon and Iraq. 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. The military leadership was increasingly paralyzed by indecision, and rank-and-file soldiers were demoralized, having been forced to confront demonstrators while prohibited from using their own weapons (and being condemned by the Shah if they did). . The crackdown on communists and Islamists led to many being imprisoned and tortured. [207] Violations of human rights by the theocratic government is said to be worse than during the monarchy,[305] and in any case extremely grave. [109], American General Robert Huyser, the Deputy Commander of NATO, entered Iran. Brief trials lacking defense attorneys, juries, transparency or the opportunity for the accused to defend themselves[224] were held by revolutionary judges such as Sadegh Khalkhali, the Sharia judge. [178] 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.[178]. "[173] He invoked the image of the hijab as a symbol of the revolution, saying that, "a nation whose respected women demonstrate in modest garb [hejab] to express their disgust with the Shah's regime- such a nation will be victorious. Pahlavi maintained a close relationship with the U.S. government, as both regimes shared opposition to the expansion of the Soviet Union, Iran's powerful northern neighbor. He followed in his familys path to become a Shiite scholar and teacher. [255] The revolution itself was supported by the Palestine Liberation Organization. Hundreds served on elected local councils and millions were in the workforce, including as judges, civil servants, ambassadors and police officers. In the decades before the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran was ruled by the Shah, whose dictatorship repressed dissent and restricted political freedoms. [41], The revolution that substituted the monarchy of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi with Islam and Khomeini is credited in part to the spread of the Shi'a version of the Islamic revival. Protesters frequently went out at night, defying the set curfew, often taking to rooftops and shouting "Allahu-akbar" ('God is great'). 1077 Words5 Pages. In addition to interrupting the freedom, education and professional livelihood of many, and striking "a major blow to Iran's cultural and intellectual life and achievement,"[5] it contributed to the emigration of many teachers and technocrats. He established a constitutional monarchy, deposing the last Qajar Shah, Ahmed Shah, in 1925 and being designated monarch by the National Assembly, to be known thenceforth as Reza Shah, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. [118], Against the wishes of Khomeini, Shariatmadari called for 17 June mourning protests to be carried out as a one-day stay. Continuation of this disaster which is, unfortunately, the objective of some the foreign oriented groups would deal a heavy blow to Islamic Revolution and Islamic Republic and any indifference towards this vital issue would be great treason against Islam and the Islamic country. He left Iran on 3 February. Since the revolution, university enrollment and the number of women in the civil service and higher education has risen. [109][111][116] The BBC itself later issued a statement admitting to having a "critical" disposition to the Shah, saying that its broadcasts helped to "change the collective perception of the population. In what would be the largest terrorist attack in history prior to the September 11 attacks in the US in 2001,[123] 422 people inside the theatre were burned to death. "[175] Khomeini pleaded for women to participate in anti-Shah demonstrations in various cities. The Iranian Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolution, . "[304] Fear of SAVAK has been replaced by fear of Revolutionary Guards, and other religious revolutionary enforcers. The culture of Iran (Persian: ) or culture of Persia is among the most influential in the world. On October 31, oil workers also went on strike, bringing the oil industry to a halt. After some early successes, the Iraqi invasion stalled and was then repelled and by 1982, Iran had recaptured almost all of its territories. [6][101][109][143] Ambassador Sullivan disagreed, and attempted to pressure Huyser to ignore the military and work directly with Khomeini's opposition. Several events in the 1970s set the stage for the 1979 revolution. [6] According to historian Abbas Milani, this resulted in the United States effectively helping to facilitate Khomeini's rise to power. The first time I had ever been informed about the Iranian people, under a spotlight that wasnt exclusive to US military action against terrorism, was from the book Persepolis. Some women of high-ranking positions were even forced to step down because of these new laws.11Rights of women have improved slightly since then but they still are not like what they used to be. [210] To approve the new constitution and prevent leftist alterations, a relatively small seventy-three-member Assembly of Experts for Constitution was elected that summer. In negotiations with Ayatollah Shariatmadari, the Shah ordered the release of 120 political prisoners and Karim Sanjabi, and on 8 December revoked the ban on street demonstrations. 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. [256] In terms of future relevance, the conflicts that originated from the Iranian Revolution continued to define geo-politics for the last three decades, continuing to do so today.[257]. [171] Women were so pivotal to the revolution that in response to a suggestion from a top aid to ban women from coming to group audience, Khomeini said "I threw the Shah out with these women, there's no problem in their coming. Shariatmadari immediately made a public announcement declaring his support for a "constitutional government," and a return to the policies of the 1906 Constitution. [93], All Iranians were required to join and pay dues to a new political party, the ezb-e Rastakhiz partyall other parties were banned. One law lowered the age of marriage for girls to eight years old, and another gave fathers the right of child custody in the case of a divorce. [324] Real GNI per capita in 2011 constant international dollars decreased after the revolution and during the Iran-Iraq war from $7762 in 1979 to $3699 at the end of the war in 1989. The Literacy Corps was established to reduce illiteracy in rural areas, though reading and writing rates continued to be low in the villages. Thus, in spite of all government efforts, a cycle of violence began in which each death fueled further protest, and all protestfrom the secular left and religious rightwas subsumed under the cloak of Shii Islam and crowned by the revolutionary rallying cry Allhu akbar (God is great), which could be heard at protests and which issued from the rooftops in the evenings. [14][131] Khomeini rapidly became a household name in the West, portraying himself as an "Eastern mystic" who did not seek power, but instead sought to "free" his people from "oppression." We can put the constitution to the people's vote without difficulty "[217], With great publicity the students released documents from the American embassy, which they labeled a "den of spies",[218] showing that moderate Iranian leaders had met with U.S. officials (and didn't release similar evidence of high-ranking Islamists having done the same). One thing I found alarming about the establishment of an Islamic Republic was the change of the marriage age for women to the age of eight years old. "[138] The marches were led by Ayatollah Taleghani and National Front leader Karim Sanjabi, thus symbolizing the "unity" of the secular and religious opposition. 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. Thousands of komiteh or Revolutionary Committees[205] served as "the eyes and ears" of the new rule and are credited by critics with "many arbitrary arrests, executions and confiscations of property". [322], Since the revolution Iran's GDP (Nominal) has grown from $90.392billion in 1979 to $385.874 in 2015. , the Shah stepped down from power later that month his departure for. 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