Marjane Satrapi wrote the autobiographical comic, Persepolis. This novel describes Marjane’s childhood and how the events in her life led to the person she is today. Marjane spent her childhood years growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Before this book, I had heard about the Islamic Revolution but never knew the details of this revolution and the effects it had on the people of Iran.
To have a good understanding of the Islamic Revolution we have to look back to the year 1921. This was the year that Reza Khan overthrew the government because of the fact the Shah had just signed the Anglo-Persian Agreement (School History). This agreement ultimately gave Britain the ability to come into Iran as they pleased to obtain oil and other resources, and this upset many during this time. Khan eventually became the next Shah and was the first ruler of the Pahlavi Dynasty. The natural resources of Iran had a huge impact on the political engagement this Iran had with other countries. Mohammad Mosaddegh was elected as the prime minister in 1951 (School History). Mosaddegh promised to take the oil industry back from foreign control. Mosaddegh was not a communist but he was supported by the communist party. This caused some concern to other countries, the United States specifically, and led him to be put under house arrest by the Shah.
In the 1970s the oil boom resulted in the Shah family becoming extremely wealthy, but the economic benefits did not reach much of the population within the community. During this same time, many Muslims did not like the Shah’s modernization and lack of tradition and culture. The Cinema Rex which is located in Abadan, Iran was set on fire on August 19th in 1978. Some refer to the fire of the Cinema Rex as the start of the Islamic Revolution. The Islamic Revolution lasted for 1 year, 1 month, and 4 days (Wikipedia).
Please take a look at the video I have attached below. It really helps tie the Islamic Revolution together. This was a huge event that took place in history and still has effects in today’s society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNLrsWjOqWM
Resources:
“Iranian Revolution Facts, History, Chronology, Outcome.” School History, https://schoolhistory.co.uk/notes/iranian-revolution/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2020.
“Iranian Revolution.” Wikipedia, 24 Sept. 2020. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iranian_Revolution&oldid=980065962.
Great post. I loved the video you attached and all of the facts you gave us. I had no clue what went on in the Islamic Revolution. I think this will give us all a better understanding behind Marjane Satrapi’s story and see how it ties in with this unique history of Iran.
I appreciate that you acknowledged you did not understand the impact the Iranian revolution had on the Iranian people. Too often we see history through the eyes of Americans in a way. We were never taught the effect the Iranian revolution had on the people that live there, only the economic and democratic implications the revolution had on the super powers of the world.
It is still shocking to me to learn about such unthinkable acts of violence as the Cinema fire. I can’t fathom feeling so strongly about the need to move my cause forward as to kill even one person, much less over 400, and in such a cruel and shocking way. It makes me think about all the complexities of political and religious movements. People aren’t moved to do things like this for no reason, so it leads me to be curious about what brings about this kind of extreme action. This context presentation left me hungry for more understanding about the world that Satrapi grew up in and wrote about in Persepolis.
Hi, thank you for including the video it helped me undertsand the Islamic Revolution. I never knew what happened to the Cinema Rex was until this comic, it is crazy how everything that happened still affects today’s society.
This presentation made the Islamic Revolution very easy to understand, I appreciate that when history can sometimes be very hard to comprehend. I find it interesting that the Revolution only lasted one year but the impacts have lasted for so long. I wonder what the future holds for Iran in terms of human rights, equality, and their economy.
Thank you very much for the historical context. It’s very complete and demonstrate the influences of different parties and countries on the Iran societies. clearly cultures is the most influential factor that begins these conflicts. Hope we can read the book and understand the culture in Iran better than now.