1979, English, Art work, Photograph edition: Women wearing chadors pass before a poster of Khomeini Brigham Young University

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Women wearing chadors pass before a poster of Khomeini
 
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Physical Description
  • Cross-Platform, 0
Published
  • 1979 AD
Language
  • English

Edition details

Title
  • Women wearing chadors pass before a poster of Khomeini
Creator
  • Brigham Young University
Published
  • 1979 AD
Physical Description
  • Cross-Platform, 0
Subjects
Notes
  • Iranian women wearing chadors pass before a poster of Khomeini. In Iran the phase of more or less clear 'liberal nationalism' occurred before WWI, in conjunction with the Persian Constitutional Revolution (1907-WWI). Persia/​Iran was occupied during WWI by the Russia (north) &​ Britain (south). WWI &​ British-Russian control weakened the old Qajar dynasty (1779-1921) to the point that an amibitious officer named Col. Reza, who'd supervised local troops under Russian command, overthrew the last Qajar shah. Col. Reza wanted to establish a republic on the model of Ataturk's Turkish Republic, but the Shi'ite Muslim religious leaders persuaded him to found a new dynasty instead. So Col. Reza (of Turkish ancestry) became Reza Shah, who claimed descent from ancient Cyrus I of Bible fame; he also renamed the country 'Iran' (the Persian word for 'Aryan'). Reza Shah, who permitted the 1907 constitution to function somewhat, was mainly an autocrat. While traditional religious leaders (the ayatollahs) constituted a weak opposition to Reza Shah, his main opposition came from left-wing supporters of the parliamentary legacy, who organized themselves into the Tudeh Party--under the leadership of Muhammad Mossadeq--, which received assistance from Moscow. When elections were held, the Tudeh Party won them, and Mossadeq became Speaker of the House--but Reza Shah saw to it that parliament had very little power. Meanwhile, Reza Shah proceeded with technological modernization; he created a secular educational system, secularized the legal system, &​ began to industrialize--especially the oil industry. On oil issues, Reza Shah clashed with the British, who'd signed contracts with the Qajar shahs, giving the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. exclusive right to refine crude oil in England (&​ giving Iran little of the profits). At any rate, during WWI-WWII, a weak constitutional system undergirded a political contest between the secular Reza Shah, who tended toward rightist totalitarian nationalism, &​ the Tudeh Party, which tended toward leftist totalitarian nationalism (the Tudeh Party operated a clandestine terrorist group called Fidayin-i Khalq). When WWII broke out, Reza Shah threatened to support Germany (partly because of the oil dispute, partly because he admired fascism/​nazism's dynamism), so Britain invaded Iran, removed Reza Shah &​ replaced him with his young, timid son, Muhammad Reza Shah. Britain withdrew after WWII, so Muhammad Reza Shah was on his own. Mossadeq took advantage of the new shah's naiveté, enacting laws that reduced Muhammad Reza Shah to a figurehead, making Mossadeq the effective head of state by about 1952. Sharing Reza Shah's views on oil questions, Mossadeq immediately nationalized Iran's oil resources. Claiming Mossadeq was a Soviet client, Britain &​ the U.S. intervened (mainly through their respective intelligences services), toppled Mossadeq &​ reinstated Muhammad Reza Shah as the head of state. Thereafter, massive U.S. &​ British technical &​ financial assistance consolidated the power of Muhammad Reza Shah, who became 'NATO's policeman' in the Middle East. With British &​ U.S. help, the Shah set up a special security force--called SAVAK--which infiltrated the Tudeh Party &​ its terrorist wing. Those suspected of anti-Shah activity (or opinions?) were routinely tortured to extract information on colleagues then executed without legal trial. Yet SAVAK was very successful, in effect decimating the Shah's leftist opposition. To build himself a popular political base of support, Muhammad Reza Shah launched the 'White Revolution,' in effect a program of land reform in which land was confiscated from estate-owners &​ distributed to peasants. The peasants may have been grateful, but they didn't manifest any gratitude through political involvement. Meanwhile, the 'White Revolution' alienated the only social category which had up till then supported the Shah--the upper middle class. Many of these alienated businessmen &​ professionals (along with surviving leftist elements), thinking they could bolster a movement to topple the Shah then move toward a parliamentary system dominated by themselves, began to support the only remaining effective opposition to the Shah--the Shi'ite ayatollahs headed by the Ayatollah Khumayni. Thus the anti-Shah movement assumed the character of an 'Islamic revolution.' After individuals then whole units of the military joined this revolution, it succeeded in 1979 in ousting the Shah &​ in installing Khumayni as the head of an 'Islamic Republic.' But the ayatollahs demonstrated more ruthlessness than the businessmen &​ leftists imagined them capable of; they quickly executed middle class &​ leftist leaders who posed any challenge to them--most of those who escaped the crackdown fled into exile. The Islamic Republic formula, with the Qur'an functioning as a constitution &​ a committe of ayatollahs as a supreme court able to strike down anti-constitutional legislation, has endured since 1979.
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  • English
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