Key People
Reza Khan Pahlavi—first ruler of the Pahlavi Dynasty in Iran, named leader in 1926
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi—Son of Reza Khan Pahlavi and heir to crown. Named ruler of Iran after British and Soviet occupation of Western Iran drives out Reza Khan. He becomes an even more tyrannical ruler than his father, and even more influenced by Western countries, until overthrown in 1979, starting the Islamic Revolution. During his reign, disparity between the rich and poor grew immensely, contributing to the demonstrations and eventual revolution in 1979.
--"The day he left, the country had the biggest celebration of its entire history." (Persepolis, 42)--Marji
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini—high shia cleric who was arrested and exiled from Iran in 1963 for opposition to the shah’s regime. He returned again in 1979 to welcoming hands, and is sworn in as ruler of the new Islamic Republic in 1979. His regime, what the people thought would be a relief from the oppressive dictatorship of the shah, goes to the other extreme: forcing submission of the population to all of Islam’s most conservative laws, and rejecting and forbidding anything that could be considered a Western, capitalist idea, product, or style.
Mohammed Mossadeq: Prime Minister during the shah’s regime, made efforts to nationalize the British-owned oil industry, of which the Shah was against. Though the shah tried to remove him from power, Mossadeq ended up pushing Pahlavi out of Iran. Pahlavi returned to power once the CIA assisted with a coup d’etat of Mossadeq.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi—Son of Reza Khan Pahlavi and heir to crown. Named ruler of Iran after British and Soviet occupation of Western Iran drives out Reza Khan. He becomes an even more tyrannical ruler than his father, and even more influenced by Western countries, until overthrown in 1979, starting the Islamic Revolution. During his reign, disparity between the rich and poor grew immensely, contributing to the demonstrations and eventual revolution in 1979.
--"The day he left, the country had the biggest celebration of its entire history." (Persepolis, 42)--Marji
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini—high shia cleric who was arrested and exiled from Iran in 1963 for opposition to the shah’s regime. He returned again in 1979 to welcoming hands, and is sworn in as ruler of the new Islamic Republic in 1979. His regime, what the people thought would be a relief from the oppressive dictatorship of the shah, goes to the other extreme: forcing submission of the population to all of Islam’s most conservative laws, and rejecting and forbidding anything that could be considered a Western, capitalist idea, product, or style.
Mohammed Mossadeq: Prime Minister during the shah’s regime, made efforts to nationalize the British-owned oil industry, of which the Shah was against. Though the shah tried to remove him from power, Mossadeq ended up pushing Pahlavi out of Iran. Pahlavi returned to power once the CIA assisted with a coup d’etat of Mossadeq.
Key terms
Islamic Revolution: A term to describe the period in which the Shah regime in Iran was overthrown and replaced with an Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Meant to overthrow a tyrannical ruler, the government only succeeded in switching from one extreme dictatorship to the other.
-“In a country where half the population is illiterate you cannot unite the people around Marx. The only thing that can really unite them is nationalism or a religious ethic" (Persepolis, 62)--Marji's uncle, Anoosh
Nationalization of Oil: the deprivatization of oil in an oil-producing country to give control of the oil industry to the government. The goal in doing this is to give the country greater control over its resources and increase its own revenue.
-"As long as we have oil in the Middle East, we'll never have peace." (Persepolis, 43)--Marji's father
Shah: A term to refer to the Pahlavi Dynasty from 1926-1979. It was a tyrannic, oppressive regime, associated with forcible Westernization and largely influenced by oil-thirsty British and American governments.
Shia: This term, having many meanings, is used in the book primarily to describe a much more conservative sect from which Khomeini came.
Ayatollah: A high title to a cleric of Shia Islam, given to someone who is highly educated in Islamic studies.
SAVAK: The secret police of the shah regime (before the revolution), known for torturing and executing opponents of the regime.
Iran-Iraq War: A war that broke out after Iranian Islamic revolutionaries called for the overthrow of monarchies in the entire region, to be replaced with Islamic Republics like the one just set up in Iran. Though Iraq invaded Iran, most of the war was fought after Iran regained its territory and Iraq called for a truce. Khomeini refused the truce, claiming he would fight until a Shi'a Islamic Republic replaced the current regime in Iraq. The conflict lasted for 8 years (during most of when both books take place). As mentioned in the book on page 169 (Persepolis II), the war largely ended up strengthening nationalism in Iran and unity with the government, as families blamed Suddam Hussein (leader in Iraq) for the misery of the past 8 years, rather than the Iranian government.
Guardians of the Revolution: A branch of Iran's military founded after the revolution meant to "maintain order" and "protect the Islamic system," though many thought it to be simply a measure to prevent internal resistance to the government. There are several scenes in the book in which Marji and her family come into confrontations with the Guardians because they are participating in something too secular or dressing against the Islamic code.
---“At the committee, they didn’t have to inform my parents. They could detain me for hours, or for days. I could be whipped. In short, anything could happen to me. It was time for action.” (Persepolis, 134) —Explanation of Marji’s situation when she was caught with sneakers and a jean jacket over her traditional garb (see video below).
-“In a country where half the population is illiterate you cannot unite the people around Marx. The only thing that can really unite them is nationalism or a religious ethic" (Persepolis, 62)--Marji's uncle, Anoosh
Nationalization of Oil: the deprivatization of oil in an oil-producing country to give control of the oil industry to the government. The goal in doing this is to give the country greater control over its resources and increase its own revenue.
-"As long as we have oil in the Middle East, we'll never have peace." (Persepolis, 43)--Marji's father
Shah: A term to refer to the Pahlavi Dynasty from 1926-1979. It was a tyrannic, oppressive regime, associated with forcible Westernization and largely influenced by oil-thirsty British and American governments.
Shia: This term, having many meanings, is used in the book primarily to describe a much more conservative sect from which Khomeini came.
Ayatollah: A high title to a cleric of Shia Islam, given to someone who is highly educated in Islamic studies.
SAVAK: The secret police of the shah regime (before the revolution), known for torturing and executing opponents of the regime.
Iran-Iraq War: A war that broke out after Iranian Islamic revolutionaries called for the overthrow of monarchies in the entire region, to be replaced with Islamic Republics like the one just set up in Iran. Though Iraq invaded Iran, most of the war was fought after Iran regained its territory and Iraq called for a truce. Khomeini refused the truce, claiming he would fight until a Shi'a Islamic Republic replaced the current regime in Iraq. The conflict lasted for 8 years (during most of when both books take place). As mentioned in the book on page 169 (Persepolis II), the war largely ended up strengthening nationalism in Iran and unity with the government, as families blamed Suddam Hussein (leader in Iraq) for the misery of the past 8 years, rather than the Iranian government.
Guardians of the Revolution: A branch of Iran's military founded after the revolution meant to "maintain order" and "protect the Islamic system," though many thought it to be simply a measure to prevent internal resistance to the government. There are several scenes in the book in which Marji and her family come into confrontations with the Guardians because they are participating in something too secular or dressing against the Islamic code.
---“At the committee, they didn’t have to inform my parents. They could detain me for hours, or for days. I could be whipped. In short, anything could happen to me. It was time for action.” (Persepolis, 134) —Explanation of Marji’s situation when she was caught with sneakers and a jean jacket over her traditional garb (see video below).
Video overview: History leading up to Iranian Revolution
(now that you have some background on key people and terms)
little video linking the story to the history...
More Resources
Excellent site for a summary of Islamic Revolution: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/04/middle_east_the_iranian_revolution/html/1.stm
Play by play timeline leading up to Revolution:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/jan-june10/timeline.html
Play by play timeline leading up to Revolution:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/jan-june10/timeline.html