40 Years Ago Today; Shah of Iran flees Iran amidst revolution

[Dennis Donovan]

Last edited Wed Jan 16, 2019, 09:14 AM - Edit history (1)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi#The_end_of_monarchy

The end of monarchy



On 16 January 1979, Mohammad Reza made a contract with Farboud and left Iran at the behest of Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar (a longtime opposition leader himself), who sought to calm the situation. As Mohammad Reza boarded the plane to take him out of Iran, many of the Imperial Guardsmen wept while Bakhtiar did little to hide his disdain and dislike for the Shah. Spontaneous attacks by members of the public on statues of the Pahlavis followed, and "within hours, almost every sign of the Pahlavi dynasty" was destroyed. Bakhtiar dissolved SAVAK, freed all political prisoners, and allowed Ayatollah Khomeini to return to Iran after years in exile. He asked Khomeini to create a Vatican-like state in Qom, promised free elections, and called upon the opposition to help preserve the constitution, proposing a "national unity" government including Khomeini's followers. Khomeini rejected Bakhtiar's demands and appointed his own interim government, with Mehdi Bazargan as prime minister, stating that "I will appoint a state. I will act against this government. With the nation's support, I will appoint a state." In February, pro-Khomeini revolutionary guerrilla and rebel soldiers gained the upper hand in street fighting, and the military announced its neutrality. On the evening of 11 February, the dissolution of the monarchy was complete.

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Thus began a chain of events that led to the Iranian Hostage Crisis...

[Buckeyeblue]

1. And that put Iran into a downward spiral that they've never recovered from

[Skidmore]

2. I was there during that period.

It didn't do that. It changed the form of tyranny and removed Western control of the oil fields. The Shah was no benevolent ruler.

[Buckeyeblue]

3. I realize he was no saint

But his removal introduced a period of rule by religious hardliners which hasn't done much for the average Iranian.

Did you have to flee when the Shaw left?

[Skidmore]

4. I was able

to finally leave five years after the Shah left. Even foreign wives of nationals need permission of husbands to travel abroad, in either era.

Adding, those hardliners were always there and the people brought them into power.

[JI7]

6. the downward spiral begin when the US got rid of Mosadegh

one doesn't have to be a religious fundie to be a horrible shitty oppressive hardliner . look at assad, saddam, gaddafi, al sisi etc .

[Skidmore]

8. Indeed.

And the people never forgot.

[mnmoderatedem]

5. Interesting side note

until fairly recently, I worked for a company founded by an Iranian immigrant. Her cousin was the Shah's wife (pictured). I was told if she (my employer) or anyone in her family ever set foot in Iran again, they would be immediately executed.

Incidentally, the woman ran her company like a tyrant. Had her circle of sycophants who adored her, and she adored them, and treated everyone else like dirt. Viewed all other employees as people who just drained her company of $ and contributed nothing. Once fired a woman two days after her father suffered a near fatal heart attack and left the building in an emergency and did not tell anyone. Perfectly understandable, but she fired her two days later anyway. That's the kids of person she was (is). Hated her and still do.

[brooklynite]

7. A revolution, not a coup

As the article states, the military remained neutral.

[Dennis Donovan]

9. ...corrected.

...although coup, by definition doesn't always include the military.

[LongtimeAZDem]

10. It all started with "Operation Ajax", when Eisenhower told the CIA to destabilize the democratically

elected Mosaddegh government and re-install the Shah to power, to secure American and British oil interests in Iran.

The CIA had taken the plan to Truman earlier, who told them to get the hell out of his office.