TODAY ONLY
January 16
Shah of Iran Goes into Exile
On this day in 1979, the Shah of Iran was driven into exile, escaping from supporters of the Ayatollah Khomeini who masterminded the whole plot from Paris, where Khomeini himself was exiled.
Word on the Street. After the news was broadcast, Iranians danced in the streets and on rooftops with soldiers, waving flowers instead of guns. Citizens jumped on and around the tanks which, just days earlier, had tried to crush their demonstrations.
Targeted. Among the first targets of the celebrating mob were statues of the Shah and his father, who seized the throne in 1925.
Who Was the Shah? Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was the shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979, except for a brief period in 1953 when Prime Minister Muhammed Mosaddeq overthrew him. Mosaddeq was then overthrown with some help from the US. The shah was returned to power as a US ally.
What He Did. The Shah modernized Iran and established social reforms. With the help of the US, he instituted a White Revolution, which included land redistribution among citizens, extensive construction, the promotion of literacy, and the emancipation of women. However in the process, the grassroots population became increasingly isolated as wealth, which stemmed from the from the oil industry, was unequally distributed among Iranians. Many of these reforms angered fundamentalist religious leaders.
Bad to Worse. Popular discontent grew, particularly in the early 1970s. The Shah became increasingly repressive, calling upon his brutal secret police (SAVAK) to put down domestic strife. Riots erupted in Iran, and widespread support for the exiled religious leader Ruhollah Khomeini grew by 1978.
On This Day in 1979... Shah Pahlavi fled the country; Khomeini returned to Iran and took control.
High Time He Went? As he left, the Shah was asked how long he would be gone: "I don't know," was his reply. He died the following year.
Shah's Final Days. When it was learned that the Shah had been admitted to the United States for medical treatment, about 500 Iranian militant students seized the US embassy in Tehran, capturing about 90 hostages, including 65 Americans. The students vowed to occupy the embassy until the Shah was returned. After treatment in New York, the Shah went to Panama.
Link for More.
July 27, 1980: The Shah dies in Egypt
Icons of the 80s: Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi
Overthrowing Muhammed Mosaddeq.
Iran's century of upheaval in a nutshell.
Khomeini: turbulent priest who shook world