Iran Revolution

Content
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Introduction Causes Outbreak Renewed protest Muharram protest Victory of the revolution and fall of the monarchy Impact Conclusion

Key-words
Revolution Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists Islamic Republic

Introduction
Th e Iranian Revolution was a populist,nationalist and Shia Islamic revoltuon that replaced an ancient monarchy with a theocracry based on Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists

Causes
Policies and policy mistakes of the Shah Westernization despite the resulting clash with Irans Shia Muslim identity Coruption and elitism His failure to cultivate supporters in the Shia religious leadership to counter Khomeinis campaign against him

 Authoritarian tendencies that violated the Iran Constitution of 1906 Failure of his overly ambitious economic program Bottlenecks, shortages and inflation Underestimation of the strengh of the oposition

Outbreak
Beginning of the Prostest January 7, 1978 in the Ettelaat newspaper, Khomeini was denounced as a british agent January 7 hardline religious students began a protest in Qom January 9 depsite the intioal orderlines of the protests, some of the student rampaged troughout the city, setting fire to anything they saw as being un-Islamic

 February 18 : protest began in various different cities Tabriz : crowds burned state buildings, banks and a Rastakhiz party hall (13 rioters were shot dead) After 40 days cycles of protests began and 3 days of major protests took place in Yazd. The Shah took personal control of the city's riot police, and gave orders that no protester should be killed under any circumstances

Governement response The Shah was completely taken by surprise by the scale of protests.He was not willing to crush the protest because he was unwilling to cause bloodsheed and violence against his own people. The Shah began a carrot and stickpolicy towards the protests

Renewed Protests
Cinema Rex fire 19 August, in the city of Abadan, four arsonists barred the door of the Cinema Rex movie theater and using chemical agents set it ablaze. In what was the largest terrorist attack in history prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks,422 people inside the theater were burned to death. Movie theaters had been a common target of Islamist demonstrators, and over 50 had been burned down already in "symbolic acts of destruction.

Declaration of Martial Law and Black Friday On midnight of September 8 , the Shah adopted a hard line approach to the demonstrations. He declared martial law in Tehran and ll other major cities throughout the country. All street demonstrations were banned, arrest warrants were issued for prominent opposition leaders, and a nighttime curfew was established.

 The main crowd that was marching reached Jaleh Square in central Tehran, when they discovered that armed soldiers and tanks were blocking their path. The army warned the crowds by megaphones to disperse, which they failed to do.

Muhrram protests
On December 2 during the Islamic month of Muharram, over two million people filled the streets of Tehran's Azadi Square , to mark Ashura, the anniversary of Imam Hosains death who was seen as a martyr in the fight against autocracy. A week later on December 10 and 11, a "total of six to nine million" anti-shah demonstrators marched throughout Iran.

Victory of the revolution and fall of the monarchy

On January 16, 1979 the Shah and the empress left Iran. On February 1, 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran This period, from February 1 to 11, is celebrated every year in Iran as the "Decade of Fajr."February 11 is "Islamic Revolution's Victory Day", a national holiday with state sponsored demonstrations in every city

 On March 30 and 31 a referendum was held over whether to replace the monarchy with an "Islamic Republic In addition to the president, the new constitution included a more powerful post of guardian jurist ruler intended for Khomeini, with control of the military and security services, and power to appoint several top government and judicial officials. It increased the power and number of clerics on the Council of Guardians and gave it control over elections as well as laws passed by the legislature.

Impact
International Internationally, the initial impact of the revolution was immense. In the non-Muslim world it changed the image of Islam, generating much interest in Islam both sympathetic and hostile. The Islamic Republic positioned itself as a revolutionary beacon under the slogan "neither East nor West"

 Domestic Internally, the revolution has brought a broadening of education and health care for the poor, and particularly governmental promotion of Islam, and the elimination of secularism and American influence in government. Fewer changes have occurred in terms of political freedom, governmental honesty and efficiency, economic equality and self-sufficiency, or even popular religious devotion

 Women especially those from traditional backgrounds participated on a large scale in demonstrations leading up to the revolution.Since the revolution university enrollment and the number of women in the civil service and higher education has risen and several women have been elected to the Iranian parliament.

Conclusion
Views differ on the impact of the revolution.For some it was "the most significant, hopeful and profound event in the entirety of contemporary Islamic history,"while other Iranians believe that the revolution was a time when "for a few years we all lost our minds, and which "promised us heaven, but... created a hell on earth."