Black Friday
The Iranian Revolution was not something that occurred from one day to another. It was the result of a multitude of events that took place during many years. Though events that led to the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty can be seen since 1977, it officially started in 1978 with the fire in the Cinema Rex. In this presentation, I will be focusing on an incident that happened a few weeks after the fire, specifically on September 8, 1978. This incident is known as “Black Friday” because of all of the lives that were tragically lost that day: 100 people died and 205 were injured. This event was also significant because it led to the victory of the revolution 6 months later.
On September 7, 1978, the government declared martial law to prevent anti-regime protests. Martial law is the imposition of military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law. It is usually declared in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed. On September 8, however, people went to protest the Pahlavi dictatorship in southern Tehran, especially in Jaleh Square, without knowing that martial law had been declared the day before. Even though the people were protesting in a civil and peaceful way, the Shah military forces had no mercy. The soldiers were instructed to shoot and kill these protestors, which is what they did.
This event is considered to have led to the abolition of Iran’s monarchy a few months later because it is thought to have marked the point of no return. Just the day after, on September 9, This massacre played a big role in radicalizing the protest movement, uniting the opposition to the Shah, and mobilizing the masses. Black Friday also led to many more protests over the following months. Finally, in January of 1979, the Shaw ultimately left Iran and fled to Egypt, which cleared the way for the Iranian Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
“Black Friday, a Bloody Day Which Led to the Victory of the Islamic Revolution.” Khamenei.ir, Khamenei.ir, 8 Sept. 2019, english.khamenei.ir/news/7020/Black-Friday-a-bloody-day-which-led-to-the-victory-of-the-Islamic
Maloney, Suzanne, and Keian Razipour. “The Iranian Revolution-A Timeline of Events.” Brookings, Brookings, 7 Feb. 2019, www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/01/24/the-iranian-revolution-a-timeline-of-events/
Thank you for your context presentation. I thought you did a great job explaining “Black Friday” and giving a detailed introduction on this topic. I feel that it is sad that many people have not heard about this incident in history and we need to do a better job as a nation staying educated about what is going on in the world. As you said, the Iranian Revolution is because of multiple events that have occurred and many people probably never knew that there was a revolution happening at all. Sometimes it takes great sacrifices to achieve your end goal and gain the freedoms you have to fight so hard for.
I learned that there is much more violence in Iran than I ever knew of. Of course I have heard stories over the years, but now I have learned of specific events like the Cinema Rex and now Black Friday. Additionally, it is shocking and horrifying to know that the revolution was one of the results of the killing of 100 people and the injury of 205. If a government was put into place as a result of that in the United States, I would be terrified. Now, I have more insight and perspective as to what Marji’s life looked like because of your explaining of other events led by the revolution in the late 1900s.
Great job on your context research presentation. I think that you did an amazing job describing the details of “Black Friday” and the effects that it had. I like how you chose to discuss Black Friday as an event that occurred after the Cinema Rex, which we learned about last week. I find it very interesting the amount of people killed and injured just because they didn’t know the government put in place a martial law. I think that just goes to show the down fall of the government in the country, there was limited communication and people did not agree with the choices being made by the government. Overall you provided great insight to this week’s assignment of watching the Persepolis film and an event that we already discussed.
Hi,
This was a well written post that contained a lot of information needed to better understand our current class content and the novel Persepolis. I had never heard of Black Friday until this post and reading about it allowed me to further understand the information I have learned thus far. What sticks out to me most is despite the fact that the Shah’s military killed many people during the protest, and the event that became known as Black Friday, that people continued to risk their lives to protest.
Hello,
As someone that was not familiar at all with the Iranian Revolution and much less the incident known as “Black Friday” let me say that I learn a lot from your context presentation. Your presentation does a great job at providing a background for the setting of the time period and place that Persepolis is set in and it helps me better understand the magnitude of the situation and the level of violence and uncertainty that surrounded the people of Iran at the time. The massive amount of injuries and death on this day at the hands of the government is astonishing and helps me understand why in the film there are protest against the government and their policies.
Hi,
Your context presentation is really helpful for me and at first I am not familiar with the histor of the Iranian Revolution. However, after reading your context and watching the Persepolis(film) I think a lot. In your context words I know the reason why people in Iran were died in the movie and how bloody this revolution is. But in terms of specific social conditions, some areas of Islamic society that have been criticized, such as the proportion of women receiving education, have improved year by year. I don’t think the Islamic Revolution is a retrogression, because the Pahlavi dynasty’s development model is unsustainable, and the indicators for measuring society are not only religious.
There is so much that can happen in an event. There is so much damage and hurt that affects people who are not being heard or who do not have rights to say what they want. Unfortunately events like these lead to greater movements. It’s hard to imagine and question why stuff like this happens, but it happens. It is a shame that one horror event such as Black Friday to lead to movements like the revolution.
It is heartbreaking to hear that “Back Friday” was ultimately caused and allowed to happen by the Shah’s government. I knew that it was rumored that she Shah was behind this massacre but this very eye opening as to exactly how and why so many lives were lost that day. I agree that this was a major turning point which lead to the overthrow of the Shah. The corruption of the government and the lives that it costed is horribly sad to learn about, but necessary to fully understand the state of Iran while reading and watching Persepolis.
I think that in reading about Marji’s life and the demonstrations that her parents partook in and even Marji did, it is important to realize that these demonstrations weren’t always successful. It is clear through Black Friday that it was dangerous to be out there and protesting in your own country even though it was their right too. This is somewhat similar to protests in the Civil Rights movement that turned into violence due to the response of the law enforcement involved even though the protests were intended to be peaceful. It is important to realize the struggle to get your voice heard in a country with a powerful government such as Iran had.
Your context presentation did a great job outlining an important event during the Iranian Revolution, “Black Friday.” The tragic event led to the death of many protestors which is sadly not a foreign concept to us. Although we are young college students, we have seen protests turn extremely violent in the past year with innocent lives being lost. This has also occurred multiple times in American history, especially during the Civil Rights movement. I like how you included that this event led to victory and the Iranian monarchy was abolished. The tragic protests during the Civil Rights Movement led to victory as well, and I hope that the protests occurring today lead to victory for the Black Lives Matter movement. It is unfortunate that innocent lives being lost has ultimately led to victory in many historical events, and although unjustifiable, it seems to fuel the the determination of the civilians rebelling against oppressive governments.
I really enjoyed reading your context presentation. I felt that it was very informational. I didn’t know of all the massacres that Iran went through. Specifically, I was never aware of the Black Friday massacre. Nor was I aware how many people lost their lives and how so many were also injured. Your context presentation really sets the scene of the movie and what exactly was going on during that time period. It’s sad to read about the history of how so many lost their lives. The citizens were only trying to be free from the oppressive government. Overall, your context presentation was very informative, great job! I am also looking forward to seeing more of what happened during that time period.
I learned a lot regarding “Black Friday” and more details about the Iranian Revolution after reading your context-research presentation. Once I had learned more about Marji’s story in Persepolis, I realized how little I knew about the events that had transpired during the Iranian Revolution, and the effects that it had on each and every individual who experienced the violence and discrimination. I was not aware that martial law was used as you described it during this time. I feel that your context-research presentation provided us with insight to better understand the background of Persepolis and the provide us with further details about the Iranian Revolution.
Very interesting context presentation. I like how you delved deep into the specific event of Black Friday and showed how it was pivotal and in general the main turning point of the revolution. Another interesting point you brought up was how people went to the protest and didn’t know that martial law was in place and that they were in severe danger. This demonstrates the lack of communication between the people and the government. I would assume a mandate like this would be known by all citizens but this certainly was not the case and many lost their lives due to this. Although this event was a tragedy it amplified the revolution which was needed to overthrow the oppressive government.
Hello,
I think you did a good job describing an important event in Iran’s history. I didn’t know of this event at all and found it very informative. It is crazy to see how someone could pull the trigger of a gun aimed at an unarmed civilian who is protesting for a better life. Those lives will not be forgotten by those around them who stood for the same values as them. It is also sad to see a radical government take place after the one the civilians fought so hard to replace. Good job overall on the Context presentation.
As many of my peers have noted, I had note heard of this horrible event before reading your presentation. I appreciate your ability to highlight the facts about the event while removing any bias we may have towards what occurred. After learning more about the revolution through our study of Persepolis I still feel as though I am so uneducated on the historical events and the complexities that are involved with the revolution. As kids we so often are taught that war is good vs. evil but sometimes the sides are not so clear. Thank you for sharing about this event that sheds light on some of the horrors of the Shah’s regime.
Your presentation was very detailed and in-depth in describing the events of Iran’s Black Friday. I was very surprised to hear about this as I never had learned about it, even throughout school history classes. This presentation has really put more context to the situation in Iran surrounding the reading and film that we have studied in class. I think that it has gone a long way in increasing my understanding and appreciation for the work.
This background helps me connect better to Marji’s story, especially the adults around her during her childhood. Some of the actions of the minor characters during the story make little sense unless the context of Iran at the time is known. I had some background into the major events of the Iranian civil war, but these were events that involved the U.S. This insight into Black Friday shows just how bad the rule of the government was at the time. This lets me understand the motivations of Marji’s mother to get her out of Iran through education.
I appreciate you providing the context of Black Friday to Persepolis, as I was not aware of this history before. This context adds to the weight of the need for The Iranian Revolution and to the struggles Iranians, including Satrapi’s family were going through. I have a better understanding of the complexity of the situation and the resilience of the Iranian people. It is a testament to the voice people can have and a reminder that working toward a better world is a continuous, ever evolving process.
It is undeniable that this background helps me better understand Marji’s story. The most, let me learn about Iran’s Black Friday event because even in the entire school history course, I have never heard of it. Besides, after learning more about revolutionary knowledge, I still feel that I have no understanding of the historical events and complexity involved in the revolution. Although this incident is a tragedy, it enlarges the wheel you need to overthrow the oppressed government. Finally, this event has become violent due to the law enforcement departments’ reactions, although protests were peaceful.
Your presentation in explaining the activities of Iran’s Black Friday was very informative and in-depth. I was shocked to read of this because I had never heard about it before, except in school history lectures. This introduction has given a lot of meaning to the situation in Iran that we’ve been studying in class through the reading and video. I believe it has helped me gain a better understanding and respect for the job.
Hello! Thank you for the presentation covering Black Friday. I wasn’t very familiar with the Iranian Revolution before Persepolis, and I definitely wasn’t familiar with Black Friday or its significance. Declaring martial law and killing protesters is very extreme and I understand how this event was the turning point that led to the abolition of the monarchy. This is a significant event that definitely should’ve mobilized opposition to the Shah.
I really liked your background on Black Friday. I liked being able to get more insight on the history of what was going on. This helps me to also understand Marji better and get a deeper look into what life was really like for. It is also important to know the casualties because I think it shows the magnitude of the event and what was to come in Iran.
Thank you for the really great context presentation this week! I really appreciated the effort you put in to the in depth explanation about “Black Friday” and the importance of it. You touched upon not only the importance of it in history, but also tied it in to how it is relevant to the film we will be watching. I also appreciated how you gave explanations for everything important to the presentation that we may not all know, such as the idea of martial law. Overall, great work!
Thank you for your great presentation! It is a horrible thing that happened on Black Friday and such a dark and depressing topic. To be honest, I had never heard of Black Friday before your presentation, nor did I know that it was one of the major contributing factors to the abolition of Iran’s monarchy. This presentation also connects very well to the topics being discussed with the recent reading of Persepolis and watching the accompanying film. The fact that the government did not give those protesting a grace period to leave Jaleh Square is something I find truly horrifying. It is understandable why the Shaw was forced to leave Iran after declaring martial law and allowing this genocide to happen. It seems as if there was not a good option on either side of the revolution, with the Shah killing his own citizens and the Iranian Revolution imposing strict religious guidelines on their citizens. I honestly can not even begin to imagine what was going through the heads of the Iranian people at this time.
Paula, I had no idea that “Black Friday” was even an event in Iranian history. Reading through your context presentation not only informed me of this event but effectively gave me concise and noteworthy information about Iranian history surrounding this event that changed the dynamic of Iranian power structures forever.
Hi,
Thank you for sharing detailed information about “Black Friday.” I don’t know anything about “Black Friday” until read your presentation. I consider this presentation would make me to have deeper understanding on Marji. I also know why Marji becomes a activist to against its home country through this event. The event reveals how violence Shaw’s government it was. I consider many activist must be persecuted at that period of time, like Marji’s uncle in the reading.
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your presentation and I think you did a great job setting the scene for the type of behavior the Iran government was committing. Your post highlights the tragedies and how much turmoil was in the country. Recently we saw how destructive the riots have been over the past year and especially at the capitol. Imagine if hundreds of people were killed or injured and a government insurrection took place in the U.S. Iran is a very different country and some of the turmoil is obviously caused by the dismay of modern colonialism.
Hello, I do agree that there were a lot events that lead up to the war. I do think that when they attacked the movie theater with so many people inside was a terrible thing to do. There is no reason that anyone should think that doing that is okay or reasonable. I think that the historical facts that you add into your post were really well and you did a good job adding a good amount of information to make it understandable to read about what happened good work!