40 years ago, the Ayatollah Khomeini from exile and returned to Iran. He was the defining figure of the Islamic Revolution in 1978-1979. His understanding of the state determines the Iran today.
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the spirits differ internationally, so as to hardly any other country in the world. The a are for good relationships. Other sanctions do not go far enough. The country supports Hamas and Hezbollah, and mixes in all the major conflicts in the Middle East. In spite of its long Isolation by the West, it remained a significant regional power. The Regime of the Islamic legal scholars, yet so untimely to appear, it has in the past 40 years, but as a remarkably stable and resilient. This Regime is enshrined in the Constitution of the country, which was oriented strongly to the theories of the State, Ayatollah Khomeini, the Central figure of the “Islamic Revolution” in 1979.
“The Shah must go!”
From the beginning of 1978, more and more Iranians took to the streets to protest against the Shah’s rule
The thrust of this Revolution was initially still open. Because the revolution movement that shook in the years 1978/1979 the Iran, was extremely heterogeneous: Communists, nationalists, Liberal and religious forces had only a common goal: “The Shah must go!” For 25 years he had ruled the country – with massive support from Washington: the dictator inside, a puppet to the outside. Meanwhile, the gap between the Poor and the rich, almost bizarre trains had adopted: In the country of millions of Iranians lived below the poverty line, while a small Elite around the Shah, a decadent, debauched life-style allowed.
The Revolution was supported first of all, but especially of the middle classes, says Berlin-based Iranian journalist Bahman Nirumand, who has witnessed the overthrow of the regime in Tehran: “Iran was due to its Oil revenues to an economically important country,” said Nirumand. “In the course of which has formed in the cities, a large middle class, and called for political voice.” You a free, liberal Iran had in mind. This is also why many had held in the case of the protests in 1978 posters with the image of the former democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, who had been a military coup in 1953, using the CIA from the office.
The short “spring of freedom”
The Islamists were added only later, and because Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was their leader. “Khomeini was the strongest spiritual critic of the Shah,” explains Reza Hajatpour of the University of Erlangen. From the Parisian exile, Khomeini brand held speeches against the Shah’s Regime, while many of the clergy in Iran and kept largely out of politics, the scholar of Islam, which had begun in 1978, his training at the Theological school in Qom. Khomeini promised not only to help the poor. He wanted to end the “Western decadence” perceived life of luxury of the elites, and forced to rethink a complete cultural – towards an “Islamic Republic”. And the Iranians followed him with enthusiasm, recalls Bahman Nirumand: “people thought: ‘Republic’ sounds good, ‘Islam’: Yes, well, we are in an Islamic country.’ The goal was a total Islamization of the country, no one said at the time.”
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionReturn to Tehran
1. February 1979: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s return from the Parisian exile to Tehran. At the airport he will be received under frenetic jubilation. For years he had criticized the Shah and his political Elite: for their oppression of dissidents, in Khomeini’s eyes, too strong a “Westernization” of Iran, but especially for their dissolute life style in luxurious decadence.
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionWaiting for the hope
Around four million Iranians have endured to this day, the motorcade cheer, in which Khomeini to the Central cemetery and drove to his arrival speech. Around a year it had come previously again and again, to mass demonstrations against the Shah’s Regime. Since August 1978, the Opposition organized a General strike had laid out repeatedly, the country’s economy to a standstill.
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionThe Shah of
Already on 16. January 1979 had left the Shah Reza Pahlawi, the country. At the conference of Guadeloupe shortly before, he had lost the support of the major Western heads of government. They argued, to seek instead the interview with Khomeini. U.S. President Carter offered the Shah to come to an indefinite period of time in the United States, which he accepted.
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionThe isolated Prime
The Shah had previously appointed Shapur Bakhtiari, a leading member of the opposition National Front, to the interim Prime Minister to appease his opponents – without success. Bakhtiari was excluded from his party, because he asked the Shah to appoint. The other party members had agreed, however, only with Khomeini to cooperate.
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionBattle speech at the Central cemetery
Khomeini explained at the time of his arrival in Tehran, Bachtiars government not to recognize. From the airport he drove to the cemetery to the Tehran Central, where he gave hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic audience with a militant speech. Monarchy and Parliament, he spoke of the legitimate itation. Instead, Khomeini, he would self-determine the new government of Iran.
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionRiots across the country
In Tehran and in other cities of the country, it also came to Khomeini’s arrival in Tehran to violent clashes between Revolutionaries and the Shah’s supporters. In the case of the street fight remained for days unclear who would win at the end of the upper hand. The military had imposed a curfew, but Iranians kept it.
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionThe Prime Minister of the Transition
On 5. February 1979 appointed Khomeini, Mehdi Bazargan from the National Front to the Transitional Prime Minister. At first, it looked as if the clergy would cooperate with the liberal Opposition. However, it came between the two groups quickly to conflicts. Bazargan resigned on 5. November 1979 – as a reaction to the Khomeini tolerated the taking of hostages in the Tehran US Embassy.
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionThe people celebrating the overthrow of
After the appointment Bazar goose a lot of people went again to the streets to support the transitional government. The military stated that it will not interfere in the power struggle. Thus Shapur Bakhtiari had lost all restraint. He had to flee from armed Khomeini-supporters from his house. In April 1979 he went into exile in France.
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionMilitary Greeting
Stand at attention for religious leaders: An elite unit of the Iranian air force greets the Ayatollah Khomeini. The Homafaran had a significant share in the victory of the Revolution, because they had granted to the population in the course of the coup the access to their weapons store. On 9. In February, there was a last gasp of the Imperial guard, as these attack a base of the Homafaran.
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Eleven days in February – the culmination of The Islamic RevolutionThe monarchy is overthrown
Thereafter, the armed fighting between the Imperial guard and the population expanded. 11. February 1979 broke down the order to several: Revolutionaries occupied the Parliament, the Senate, the television stations and other state institutions. Shortly after the fall of the monarchy was announced. Today, Iran celebrates the 11. February the anniversary of the “Islamic Revolution”.
And so it looked to be the beginning of even so, there is a collaboration between the Mullahs and the liberals. On 1. February 1979 returned Khomeini from exile. Only four days later, he appointed the liberal politician Mehdi Bazargan to the Transitional head of government. “But in whose term of office it became clear that between the clergy and liberal forces, differences of opinion exist,” recalls Reza Hajatpour. Khomeini’s followers eliminated with brutal violence, almost all of the supporters of the Shah, and put the change towards a strict Islamic social order. The Shah and his court led a life of decadence. “It is not only the Islamists, but all were,” says Bahman Nirumand: “that’s Why Khomeini found as a very important breeding ground for cultural change.” A large majority of the Iranian people voted in a Referendum in December 1979 for a new Islamic Constitution, which was completely tailored to the Supreme leader of the revolution Khomeini.
All Power to the Mullahs
Khomeini is still present in the Background, such as here in the case of a speech by Ayatollah Khamenei
Left and Liberal had the reset. And yet, they were able to make the rings of Power for some time to open. In January 1980, two months after the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, chose the people of Abolhassan Banisadr as the new President of the Republic. “We had not seen since that of the clergy agreed,” says Reza Hajatpour, “Oh, they had their own candidates.” Banisadr became a uncomfortable against players of Khomeini and warned repeatedly against a dictatorship of the clergy. “The people were divided,” recalled Bahman Nirumand, “and the decision only came with the Iran-Iraq war. This was, as Khomeini said, ‘a gift from the heavens’.”
In September 1980, Iraq’s leader Saddam Hussein – to handle massively upgraded by the USA – Iran. For eight years the two countries fought a cruel war. Military in the end there was no winner, up to one Million people were killed. Domestically, however, told Nirumand, brought the war to the final decision in favour of the Mullahs, “because any Opposition could be liquidated with the reference to the external enemy, and because hundreds of thousands were sent to the Front. But above all, the Islamists were able to impose their ideology of martyrdom, of dying for the Fatherland.” The most prominent political victim was Abolhassan Banisadr, He was for more low at the Front to be responsible and on 21. June 1981 by the Iranian Parliament deposed. At least now the way was for the Mullahs permanently.
A strong religious leader, a weak President
A plurality of sequentially execution waves shook the country. In a row were executed, persecuted Liberals and Communists, the Shah’s supporters and the opposition of the clergy from its own ranks, imprisoned, hung. Successor Banisadrs in the office of the President was Mohammad Ali Radschai. He fell, however, after only 28 days in office, a bomb attack victim, and was succeeded by Sayyed Ali Khamenei. This in turn is since the death of Khomeini himself Supreme religious leader, and thus the strong man in Iran.
Since the Revolution, has changed the political System: Even today, all the threads run together to the Supreme religious leader. President Rouhani can decide nothing without the consent of Khamenei. While Khamenei does not have but long on the radiance of Ruhollah Khomeini, says Reza Hajatpour. “The ideology of the Islamic Republic plays no important role. Today, a kind of robust pragmatism prevails.” This is also evidenced by the policy under President Rouhani, wants to hold on despite all odds and in spite of the US withdrawal from the 2015 laboriously found a nuclear compromise to maintain the relations with the West. “With him trying to now, what has been destroyed in recent years, domestic and foreign policy, again to some extent in addition to get,” said the Islamic scholar. “The people want change. But now it is not so much the contrast between the people and the clergy, but more a social conflict: between those who are affected by the sanctions, and unemployment and those who still Benet from the System.”