We explain what the Islamic Revolution in Iran was, its antecedents and consequences. We also explain who Ruhollah Khomeini was.
During the 1970s, Ayatollah Rullohah Khomeini became the icon of anti-monarchy sentiment.
What was the Islamic Revolution?
The Islamic Revolution in Iran was the revolutionary process that overthrew the traditional monarchy of Shah (King) Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and established in his place the fundamentalist Islamic government of Ayatollah Khomeini.
It happened between 1978 and 1979, with a continuous popular demonstration in different Iranian cities against the Shah’s government. With the fall of the monarchy, the Islamic Republic of Iran was created and a theocratic regime based on the ideology of radical Islam was established.
During the 1950s and 1960s, The Shah had consolidated his government with the support of foreign powers who benefited from the exploitation of Iranian oil. Under pressure from these countries, he had pushed through a series of measures that harmed the most traditionalist sectors of Iranian society, including religious leaders.
During the 1970s, different social groups They organized opposition to the Shah’s government and exalted the Ayatollah (religious leader) Khomeini as the revolutionary leader. which defended the traditional values of Iranian society.
With the triumph of the revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran was created and a theocratic regime was established, ruled by Khomeini. The new government was structured around the ideology of radical Islamism and imposed strict control over the social, cultural and religious habits of the population.
Background of the Iranian Revolution
The origins of Iranian nationalism
Between 1796 and 1925, Iran was ruled by the Qajar dynasty. Since the late 19th century, Iranian society was undergoing a process of westernizationfostered by various groups that benefited from relations and business with Western powers. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Iranian Constitutional Revolution established a constitutional monarchy that imposed a series of limitations on the absolute power of the Shah.
In 1908, a large oil field was discovered and since then, became one of the world’s largest oil suppliers, placing Iran at the centre of the political and economic interests of the world powers.
During World War I, although Iran remained neutral, the country was occupied by British, Ottoman and Russian troops. The United Kingdom then attempted to control the Iranian government through the establishment of a British protectorate. However, the power vacuum and political instability led to the end of the Qajar dynasty and the establishment of a new dynasty.
In 1925, Nationalist military leader Reza Pahlavi (father) led a coup, took over as shah of Iran and established a new dynastyDuring his government, he attempted to reform traditionalist society and consolidate resistance to foreign forces.
To this end, he sought to improve the effectiveness of government, raise the educational levels of society and modify the land ownership system. However, this created several enemies for him.
On the one hand, he earned the distrust of the Western powers. On the other hand, the more traditionalist communities saw their customs and values of life attacked. During the Second World War, Iran was occupied by British troops and the Shah was forced to abdicate in favour of his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.
In this context, within Iranian society A deep nationalist sentiment linked to religious tradition was growing and opposed the influence of foreign countries, especially Western ones. In 1951, a popular nationalist movement forced the Shah to retire and exile him from the country. One of the main nationalist leaders, Mohammad Mosaddeq, took over as Prime Minister. That same year, Mosaddeq nationalized oil.
The pro-Western white revolution
In 1953, the United States and the United Kingdom organized a coup d’état, overthrew the nationalist government and reinstated Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in power.
The Shah allowed oil companies to continue to be exploited by foreign companies.For several years, the Shah managed to govern Iran by eliminating all pockets of opposition through the repression of the most radical enemies, the reform of some questionable elements of the system and the co-optation of moderate adversaries.
In 1963, under pressure from US President John F. Kennedy, the Shah pushed through a package of reforms known as the “White Revolution” that liberalized some aspects of the Iranian economy and society.
Among the most important changes, the package included the secularization of certain social and educational norms and a reform of the land ownership system (which benefited the large landowners who supported the Shah’s monarchy). The aim was to weaken the social classes that defended traditionalist nationalism and benefit the classes that supported the Shah’s pro-Western monarchy.
These reforms generated great discontent among various sectors of the population and spontaneous popular demonstrations began to develop in different places in Iran. A group of ayatollahs (Shiite Muslim clerics), led by Rullohah Khomeini, criticized the shah and preached against foreign intervention that undermined the religious and cultural traditions of Iranian society.
On June 5th, Khomeini was arrested and sent to prison. This news caused even greater discontent among the population and protesters demanded the release of Khomeini, who became an icon of traditionalist anti-Western sentiment. The riots lasted several weeks and resulted in thousands of deaths, both on the side of the police and the protesters. After his release, Khomeini had to go into exile in Turkey.
The gestation of the Islamic revolution
In the years following the reforms, various elements led to the growth of revolutionary opposition against the Shah. Among the main reasons for popular discontent were the government’s repression and abusive policies.
In order to stay in power, The Shah strengthened his repressive apparatus and created a new secret police. called Savak to eliminate pockets of opposition and censor their adversaries. During the 1970s, political violence continued to increase.
On the other hand, the economic measures of industrial modernization improved the conditions of a sector of the middle class and of industrial workers but seriously harmed the lower classes and the merchant sector of the middle class, linked to the mercantile trade of the traditional bazaar. The living conditions of the lower classes worsened due to the rising cost of living in the city, increasing taxes and the continued rise in inflation.
Furthermore, during the 1960s and 1970s, religious observance increased greatly; that is, more and more people followed religious norms. The opposition between the monarchy (Shah) and the clergy (Ayatollah) led to religious institutions and organizations functioning as centers of social congregation in support of the anti-Western tradition.
Development of the Iranian Revolution
The rise of popular demonstrations and police repression
During 1977, political violence intensified. The ayatollahs’ anti-government preaching became increasingly louder and opposition demonstrations became increasingly popular. Police repression led to an increase in spontaneous gatherings and the organization of the opposition.
In January 1978, US President Donald Trump announced that he would be forced to leave the country. Jimmy Carter publicly praised the Shah’s government and said he had turned Iran into an area of political stability in the midst of one of the most conflict-ridden regions in the world.
Khomeini criticized Carter’s remarks and denounced American intervention in Iranian affairs. In response, one of the major newspapers published an editorial criticizing the ayatollahs and describing Khomeini as a covert Western agent.
Popular demonstrations against the defamation began and the police suppressed rebellions in Qom (where Khomeini’s religious centre was located). The ayatollahs called on the Shiite tradition to observe a 40-day period of mourning for those killed in the repression.
The following month, another wave of rebellions erupted in Tabriz and police fired on protesters. The ayatollahs again called for popular mourning. This was the beginning of a cycle of protest, repression and mourning that was repeated in the following months in different Iranian cities.
On September 8 in Tehran (the capital of Iran), during one of the most popular demonstrations so far, the Savak began to openly shoot at the population and killed more than two hundred people. That day is known as “Black Friday”.
The fall of the shah
Meanwhile, the United States publicly supported the Shah and privately pressured him to quell the unrest. In November, the Shah agreed to establish a military government but refused to allow harsher repression.
The United States wanted to force its decision and, the following month, The Shah decided to end military rule and appointing Shahpour Bakhtiar, one of the opposition leaders, as prime minister. Finally, on 16 January 1979, the Shah and his family fled the country.
On February 1, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran as a revolutionary leader amid popular acclaim. On April 1, 1979 Iran officially became the Islamic Republic of Iran and Khomeini established a theocratic regime that lasted until his death in 1989.
Consequences of the Iranian Revolution
The main consequence of the Iranian Revolution was the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The revolution overthrew the Shah’s monarchy and replaced it with a theocratic regime based on a radical Islamic ideology.
Khomeini’s government sought to consolidate Iran’s national power and expel foreign forces from the country. To do so, it nationalized the oil industry and allowed a popular occupation of the U.S. embassy in Tehran (which led to a diplomatic crisis known as the “Iran hostage crisis”).
Consequently, IThey began to suffer international isolation driven by an American boycottIn addition, between 1980 and 1988, Khomeini had to face a war with Iraq (1980-1988).
This situation caused a serious decline in the economy…