With demonstrations in Iran making headlines around the world, Global National looks back at another year of political turmoil and bloodshed in Iran.
Regarded as a coming of age for Islamic fundamentalism, the 1979 Iranian Revolution resulted in the collapse of the Iranian monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic republic.
Having been unhappy with the Shah’s leadership for decades, Iranians finally took to the streets in 1977. They were inspired by the words of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, an influential leader who had been living in exile in Iraq and France for more than a decade for his vocal opposition to the Shah’s regime.
The movement against the Peacock Throne gained momentum in January, 1978 when government troops killed students in the holy city of Qom, who were demonstrating against the government-controlled press. Official accounts put the number killed at only a handful, while others claim hundreds were massacred.
Iranians held further demonstrations honouring the dead students and protesting against the Shah. Protesters were killed in Tabriz, a city in northwestern Iran.
That sparked further rounds of protest in which more demonstrators were killed.
The movement got a boost in May when leading cleric Ayatollah Kazem Shariatmadari joined the protesters. He made the move after government commandos burst into his home and killed one of his followers.
The movement grew until strikes and demonstrations paralyzed the country later in the year. Hundreds of thousands of people participated, and more demonstrators were killed.
In December, more than 2 million people filled a square in Tehran to demand an end to the Shah’s regime and the return of Khomeini. Those numbers swelled later that month, when millions of anti-Shah demonstrators marched through the streets of Tehran in protest.
The beleaguered Shah fled the country in January, 1979. His 500-year-old monarchy collapsed a few weeks later when armed insurgents and rebel troops overwhelmed soldiers loyal to the monarchy.
Iran adopted a theocratic constitution in December. With Ayatollah Khomeini installed as “Supreme Leader” Iran became a staunchly Islamic state.
When Iranian students stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran and took 52 staff members hostage in November, Khomeini voiced his support and lashed out at “The Great Satan” who employed the captives. That set the course for rocky relations between Iran and Western countries, especially the U.S.
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