1. CONTEXT FOR THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION Understanding Persepolis

2. POLITICAL RULE IN IRAN  The Persian Empire dates back 2,500 years.  The last Empirical “Shah” of Iran was Ahmad Shah Qajar, who ruled from 1909 to 1925. This is Marjane Satrapi’s great-grandfather.

3. REZA SHAH  Ahmad Shah Qajar was overthrown by Reza Khan, a soldier in the Persian Cossack Brigade. Rather than establishing a republic, Reza was convinced by Great Britain and the USA to become a Shah himself.  Reza modernized the country and ruled until 1941. The Allied Forces wanted Iran to join them in their fight against Nazi Germany. Reza sympathized with Nazi Germany and would not join the Allies. Iran was occupied, and Reza was thrown out of the country. He died in Johannesburg, South Africa in July of 1944 of a heart condition.

4. THE LAST SHAH OF IRAN  Reza was replaced with his son, Pahlavi, who ruled from 1941 to 1979, minus a brief interlude when Mohammad Mosaddegh was democratically elected as Prime Minister of Iran (1951- 1953).  Mosaddegh was overthrown in a coup d'état supported by the USA and Great Britain. Pahlavi returned to rule the country until February 1979.

5. SHAH PAHLAVI’S RULE OF IRAN  Pahlavi was known for his modernization, Westernization and disregard of the religious elements of Iran’s Constitution.  He was often accused of being a “Western Puppet” for Great Britain and the USA.  For example, the Shah replaced Muslim laws with Western ones, forbade the wearing of traditional Muslim clothing, and had his police forcibly remove women’s hijabs and chadors.  Pahlavi had a secret police, the SAVAK, who carried out systematic political repressive measures.  The Shah supported and profited from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company while his citizens were impoverished, uneducated, and suffering.

6. CRITICS OF THE SHAH  Ayatollah Khomeini, a Muslim religious leader and political advocate, was an outspoken critic, was arrested twice, and was finally forced into exile for 14 years.  He saw the Western world as just another colonial power trying to control Iran and its oil.  He returned to Iran when the Shah left for Egypt in February1979 and took over the country, establishing the Islamic Republic of Iran.  Khomeini preached that revolt and martyrdom against injustice and tyranny was part of Shia Islam religious practice.

7. 1970’S LEADING TO THE REVOLUTION  1971 2,500 th anniversary of the Persian Empire at Persepolis: HUGE party, and was criticized for its extravagance. Foreigners were drunk in the streets while many Iranians languished in poverty.  70’s Oil Boom: The Shah earned billions of dollars, the people had nothing.  1976: Forced political party membership, all other parties banned.  1977: Demonstrations against the Shah begin.  August 1978: Cinema Rex Fire in Abadan.  Martial Law began on Sept. 8 th 1978.  Shah Pahlavi escaped to Egypt February 11 th, 1979. He was later admitted to the USA for medical treatment. He returned to Egypt and died from medical complications on July 27 th, 1980. The Shah’s last years in power.

8. WHAT HAPPENS NOW?  When the Shah finally left, there was a power vacuum.  Ayatollah Khomeini was waiting in exile to return and take control of the country.  Within ten days he was flown back to Tehran and set up his own Islamic Republic.  The Liberal revolutionaries did not have the backing to create a new, modern Iran, so Khomeini took control easily. He killed anyone who got in the way of his new government.

9. AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI  Khomeini believed in “velayat-e faqih” which means “guardianship of the jurist.” He believed that everyone needed to be guarded and protected from “deviation from traditional sharia law and doing so would eliminate poverty, injustice, and the “plundering” of Muslim land by foreigners.”  Once he gained control however, he used repression, corruption and all means of control to maintain power.  “Through the guardianship that I have from the holy lawgiver, I hereby pronounce Bazargan as the Ruler, and since I have appointed him, he must be obeyed. The nation must obey him. This is not an ordinary government. It is a government based on Sharia. Opposing this government means opposing the sharia of Islam…Revolt against God’s government is a revolt against God. Revolt against God is blasphemy.”  Declared jihad on royalist troops who refused to surrender.

10. THE NEW ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN  The USA accepted the ailing Shah to the US for medical treatment. Khomeini wanted the Shah sent to Iran for trial and execution, but the USA refused.  Hostage Crisis, November 4 th, 1979: Muslim students invaded the US Embassy compound and captured 52 American diplomats and staff.  There was a failed attempt to rescue the hostages which the gov’t attributed to “divine intervention.” The film “Argo” is about this event.  Khomeini wrote, “The action has many benefits…This has united our people. Our opponents do not dare act against us. We can put the constitution to the people’s vote without difficulty.”  Khomeini banned the word “democracy” because it is a Western word.  Over 1000 people were executed between Jan. 1980 – June 1981.

11. SUNNI V. SHIA?  Sunni and Shia/Shiite/Shii Muslim differences date back to the death of Mohammad.  Their differences begun when Mohammad died in 632 BCE.  The Shia leaders believed the successor should have been from Mohammad’s family or appointed by Mohammad himself. These men were in the minority. They believed that Mohammad’s cousin and son-in-law Ali bin Abu Talib should have led the nation.  Sunni Muslims believed that the next leader should be chosen by the companions of the prophet, that he should be elected. These men won the dispute and Abu Bakr became the new leader.  More than 1/3 of the World’s Shia Muslims live in Iran.