HIS501Sem Contemporary World History _S1_2020_Lautoka

The  Iranian Revolution also know as the Islamic Revolution was a series of events in 1979 that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was supported by the Unite States, and the replacement of his government with an Islamic republic, under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a leader of one of the factions in the revolts. The revolution was supported by various Islamic and leftist organisations and students movement. The cause of revolution is because Shah was spending hundreds of millions of dollars on buying military weapons from America. This led to increase in inflation and waste an "accelerating gap" between the rich and the poor, the city and the country by late 1974. The resulting unemployment disproportionately affected the thousands of recent poor and unskilled migrants in the city. In 1977, the Iranian people saw the death of a very popular and influential Islamic leader Ali Shariati, allegedly at the hands of SAVAK.. Strong Shi"i opposition was led against the Sah, and the country came close to a situation of Civil War. Furthermore, Black Friday the name given to 8th September 1978 because of the shooting in Jaleh Square in Tehran. Between 84-88 people were killed and 205 were injured. The deaths were described as the pivotal event in the Iranian Revolution. In addition, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in late 1978 became the symbol of religious opposition to the Shah. Large scale strikes rocked the country, virtually shutting down the both the public and private sectors including the oil industry. By 1979, the Shah left the country after arguing the military to remain loyal to the regime. The Shah said he was going on a holiday. He never returned and died in 1980.