The Iranian Revolution 1

The Iranian Revolution

AP History Conference

Marc Gluberman, Kelly McAleer, Emily Yee

Smithtown High School West

 The Iranian Revolution 2

Abstract

In 1979 the Iranian Revolution took place in the Middle East when the Pahlavi Dynasty

fell to the Islamic Republic under the Ayatollah. After the revolution, the government began to

enforce stern laws to emphasize its theocratic ideals. Ideas from the west were trying to be shut

out as much as possible, by censoring television and forms of literature, despite the fact that

many of its citizens support it. With these, “Western thoughts,” a rebellious spirit sparked against

the current government and culture, and the government placed laws banning it. Despite these

harsh regulations, many people have illegal satellites to watch foreign stations, such as CNN.

Women are no longer allowed to perform for audiences that have men. Literature was used as a

form of expression for the Iranian people, due to this, oppression from the government increased.

This caused a spur of interest by the youth in music and other forms of Western literature.

Because of this, the government became strict toward civilian’s rights to contain their form of

expressions since it stirred rebellions.

 The Iranian Revolution 3

Prior to 1979, Iran was ruled by the Pahlavi dynasty. During this time America had great

relations with Iran and its black gold, but the people were unhappy of this government because

the Shah had a small middle class but a large lower class. This caused the people to start a

revolution that was based around culture. This is because the people believed in a nationalist

feeling of Islamic government. After this, a man named Ayatollah conducted the new theocratic

government. However, there are still conflicts going on to this day. Throughout the revolution

media, such as poetry, art, and music were all utilized by the people as a peaceful way of

rebelling against a violent government.

Over this course of the revolution, many topics such as music, television, movies,

photography, and art were restricted and in some cases, completely banned. The once traditional

music of Iran was struggled to be produced. To try to ensure this, the Iranian government banned

all academic classes that had to do with music. Many Iranian artists were able to overcome this

such as the famous Iranian singer known as Sepideh, instead she took private music lessons. She

and many other famous folk singers like Parissa, Sima Bina, and more, studied the old traditional

music of Iran (Maryam Habibian, 1998).

Although banned by the government, Iran started to undergo times of “Gharbzadegi”.

Gharbzadegi is a Persian word that is defined as “westoxification”, it was brought on by the

many influences by the people of the West like; Western music, videos, and fast food products.

All censorship laws were later taken care of by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance

(Absolute Astronomy). The Minister is known as a regulator for all culture that moves in and out

of Iran without their permission, “no books or magazines are published, no audiotapes are

distributed, no movies are shown and no cultural organization is established”. The Ministry also
 The Iranian Revolution 4

banned cassette players, and as the people of Iran usually did they found a way to get around the

banning. During this time, they were collectively bought, then wrapped up, and hidden in the car

to prevent discovery by someone else, the same occurred with the introduction of satellite dishes

(Manal Lutfi, 2007).

The president of Iran, Mohamed Khatami wanted to allow more freedoms of his people,

during his presidency he allowed musical concerts to be broadcasted along with the playing of

Iran’s traditional instruments (the sitar, tambour, etc.). It was said to be a “peaceful cultural

revolution” during this time, and was the first initial time that any music was being produced live

and was on the T.V. Soon after, another Minister, Mohammed Hossien Saffar Harandi took his

position and did not appreciate music as much as the previous president. He again, like the others

tried to eradicate music that was in his opinion against the country, such as rock and rap. (Manal

Lutfi, 2007)

The main way many Iranians were able to make a triumph over the government’s

restrictions was when computers were introduced. By having a computer, many young Iranians

were able to search and download music from over the internet as well as watch music videos.

Black music markets were then established which allowed more music to spread and accumulate

wealth. This happened under the President Khatami, who made failed attempts at making music

legal, but did not discontinue its spread. An Iranian, Armeni, said that “Music that is sold openly

in stores does not represent the music business in Iran. The real music business is underground,

the products of which are discretely manufactured. The transactions of this kind of music

outnumber the number of transactions of legal music” (Manal Lutfi, 2007).

 The Iranian Revolution 5

During the past years music production has become increasingly easier, musicians now

copy their music tapes and tend to leave the tapes anonymous, or put it under another name and

soon after they forward it to others to be illegally sold. Music is then spread around by word of

mouth in communities and say also were it is possible to find it. One band that demonstrated this

most was “O-Hum”. O-Hum was able to make a site for all their music in which their albums

and songs could be downloaded free. Some bands were permitted by the Ministry, although

during their concerts singers and the attendees were not allowed to dance to the songs (Manal

Lutfi, 2007).

Other than music, filming and movies also proved to be a problem as far expression. In

Iran, there are few theatres that people can see movies at. All the movies have to be approved by

the Ministry and must be deemed appropriate for their audience of Iranian people. On the other

hand, films from other countries were imported from Asia and dubbed into other languages for

Iranians then they were able to be seen by Iranian movie enthusiasts and were too, approved by

the Ministry. Unlike Iranian women, only the women appearing in the films were allowed be

shown without headscarves. The only alternative to the approved films was the illegal DVDs

smuggled over the border and into Iran and they were not censored by the Ministry because they

were not viewed by the government, the smuggled films tended to cost around one to two dollars

for the public (Manal Lutfi, 2007).

For those who want to produce a film, to start they must receive a grant and permission to

from the MCIG otherwise the release of the movie will be marked illegal and the producer has a

possibility of going to jail or be punished. Television is censored the same way like the films.

Some Iranian-made shows are allowed and other foreign television shows as long as they are
 The Iranian Revolution 6

approved. Many shows that are of American origin are banned from public viewing because of

the Iranian government’s strong opposing views against them, and when they were put on the air,

many critics and the government punished people on the television (Maryam Habibian, 1998).

Overall, the opressive government of Iran tried to constrict around the rights of its people

through the censorship of music, television, and films. Although this occurred, the Iranian people

were able to overcome these obstacles and were able to continue expressing themselves through

arts such as music, film and television.

The Iranian revolution’s cultural impact was caused by many factors including modern

technology. The government, ruled by the Shah, was more focused on the larger media, using

radio and television broadcasts to their advantage. The revolutionaries focused on the small

media and used media outlets like cassette tapes. Communications technology, whether big or

small, influenced the Iranian revolution’s culture by manipulating people’s opinions.

The government focused their attention on the larger media. They would censor

newspapers and limit television and radio broadcasts to only official and religious programs.

NIRT was a government run radio broadcast company. Sabet originally owned the broadcast, but

the government used its powers and purchased the station for a little more then a quarter of its

total value. The Shah’s government had a monopoly in the broadcasting sector which allowed

them to have full control of the larger media. This was to prevent any opposition from spreading

their views against the Shah’s regime. New important official reports, communiques, were sent

by these broadcasts. These communiques were used as an attempt to manipulate people’s

opinions in their favor by twisting the truth and giving limited information.

Although this all seemed like a great plan, it proved to be ineffective since a majority of the
 The Iranian Revolution 7

population didn’t have a television set or radio receiver. Another problem was that radio stations

were harder to censor since there were only 28 television stations but 82 radio stations. In fact,

people owned more then 3.5 times the amount of radio receivers then television sets.

(Pressreference). Further, censoring caused people to have a desire for western culture, which

was being blocked. In order to get around censoring, people resorted to the fast spreading small

media. Thus, the Shah’s best efforts proved ineffective at stopping the opposition.

Revolutionaries used small media to resist censoring and it had a much more significant

impact (Annabelle Mohammadi). While Khomeini was exiled, he would use “telephone”

speeches to continually spread his ideas in Iran (wsu.edu). These speeches were made into

cassette tapes and videos, of messages like his sermons, which created masses of Islamic people

(Annabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi and Ali Mohammadi). The reason it was effective was

because it was hard to censor, and it spread much more rapidly since many people owned

cassette players. Cassettes also didn’t require literacy which made it better then newspapers and

was more accessible to the public (William B. Quandt). As a result they were able to spread their

views and won the revolution. This lead to a national identity for Iranians, and an Islamic run

theocracy was put in place.

The technological factor in the Iranian Revolution favored the revolutionaries. This was

because they were able to effectively spread their theocratic ideas among a majority of the

population. This was achieved with small media tactics that the government could not stop. The

Shah’s control of the larger media and censorship proved to be ineffective as the Revolutionaries

small media tactics prevailed, such as poetry.

“A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a love

 The Iranian Revolution 8

sickness” (Frost). This is quoted from the great American poet, Robert Frost. From words alone,

one can convey a vast variety of emotions that can touch someone’s heart. Throughout history,

poetry has been used for countless reasons albeit for love, disparity, religion, or politics, it never

fails to convey a vast variety of emotions that can touch someone’s heart. This is true to the

Iranian Revolution, in which Mohammad Reza Shah was overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini to

bring a more Islamic society back to Iran (Iran Revolution of 1979). Numerous people have

responded to this through poetry, which brings hope to the citizens of Iran.

Hope is only one of the things that poetry does for Iran. It also brings a sense of unity and

pinpoints a focus to a cause. Because of this, poetry is considered to be more important in Iranian

culture than America’s. A powerful video came out in Iran in which a woman recited a poem

from the rooftop of Tehran. It was recorded the night before the first wave of enraged protestors

during the revolution. Her poem brought heartbreak to people and thus cries of “Allah-o Akhbar”

could be heard during the night (Lundberg, 2009).

During times of turmoil, it is no surprise that poetry is at its finest. The head of Iran’s

Security Council threatened the opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi by killing his wife.

His wife, Zahra is a dynamic symbol for change in Iran and during this time, she twittered out to

a poem. It read:

Let the wolves know that in our tribe

If the father dies, his gun will remain

Even if all the men of the tribe are killed

A baby son will remain in the wooden cradle.

 The Iranian Revolution 9

No matter what hardships that these people face, Zahra says that there will always be a

hope that the opposition cannot take away from them (Lundberg, 2009).

However, death is inevitable in revolutions and the loss of a precious life cannot be

given back. On June 20th 2009, Neda Agha Soltan attended a demonstration where they

protested the vote count for the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. She was shot in

the heart by a Basiji, a member of the militia (Poem for Neda, 2009). Out of the madness that

people desperately tried to make sense of, poetry was burning bright. Sholeh Wolpe is an

Iranian-American poet and she wrote a poem dedicated to the death of Neda, who has now

become an iconic figure (Lundberg, 2009). This is her poem:

Leave the Basiji bullet in my heart,

fall to prayer in my blood,

and hush, father

--I am not dead.

More light than mass,

I rise through you,

breathe with your eyes,

stand in your shoes, on the rooftops,

in the streets, march with you

in the cities and villages of our country

shouting through you, with

you.I am Neda--thunder on your tongue.

Poetry is the reaction to events. The Green Movement is a movement in which people
 The Iranian Revolution 10

wanted to remove Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current president of Iran, from office. Green is

the symbol of unity and hope. This event caused numerous amounts of poetry from people all

over the world and poets have been using current technology, such as YouTube, Twitter, and

Facebook to get their messages across for their ideal Iran. People suggest that this is rebirth of a

new artistic era that has not arose since the failure of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Two

Iranian-American poets, Majid Naficy, and Roya Hakakian, have taken part of this movement

(Happell, Wolf, 2009).

Poets have to deal censorship laws in Iran, due to the government’s fear of Western

culture adding more fire to the already present flame of rebellion. The censorship laws in Iran

constrain artists’ creativity and most poets are not known in Iran or outside of Iran. Many poets

have been banned from the country. Not only is the poet in danger, but so are their readers. Faraj

Sarkouhi, a former editor of Iran’s socioliterary journal Aiden, says that, “Regional and global

events have thrown both the poets and their readers into unchartered territories.” A man named

Shahriar Mandanipour, who is banned from Iran because of his book, Censoring An Iranian Love

Story, gives hope to poets, authors and artists. He says, “Although the Islamic state can restrict

publications and the business of books, they cannot in fact restrict the hope that one day Iran will

seek literary change. It is because of the power of the people that that day seems to have found

luminosity” (Nardone, 2009).

Poetry, a beacon of hope, continues to burn brightly within the hearts of the Iranians.

Although they have faced, and still facing, dark times, they endure strongly with power of their

words.
 The Iranian Revolution 11

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather

than seen” (DaVinci). Leonardo DaVinci, a father of the Renaissance, describes art as a poetry

that can be seen. Poetry brings a feeling of hope and peace. Mosques are a safe haven for the

people of Iran, due to the fact that they cannot be touched by violence. They served as a place to

interact within the community. Mosques are beautiful pieces of architecture based around Islam

(Parsa, pg 189-190, 1989). The vivid colors and high level of culture bring a sense of unity

among the Iranians.

Art is a powerful vehicle to get ideas across. Graffiti is done on walls and bridge

columns. Revolution posters and banners are strung on the streets, which contain pictures from

Iranian history and leaders from the revolution. These posters can also be used as propaganda

towards civilians, as seen from the pictures below (Chelkoski, 1999).

 The school classroom on the left represents western society, whereas on the far right, it is

an Islamic one, such as the girls wearing saris.

The Iranian Revolution 12

Another example is the picture to the right where, once again, it shows a Western dinner

and an Islamic. These pictures are found in elementary school textbooks, showing the

propaganda taking place in Iran. They believe that Western idea should be completely eradicated

from Iran to avoid rebellions, and that the tradition of Islam must be upheld in all aspects, such

as dress, behavior, and even furniture, in order to maintain a stable society (Chelkoski, 1999).

Social tensions were high during the start of the revolution, so artists assumed a role in

which they produced political posters opposing the government. A group of Iranian artists

opened up a workshop in which they provided the materials to make the posters. They plastered

their artwork in the schools, factories, and the walls of buildings in Tehran, a city in Iran. Their

point was to try and deface the government by counteracting the monuments that were built.

Even though the government took down the posters, many would replace them again soon after.

The hope that is in the spirit of the Iranians continues to live on through their art (Images From

the Iranian, 2002).

William Shakespeare once said, “The miserable have no other medicine, but only hope.”

Many forms of media, such as television, music, art and literature serve as a picture of hope for a

better life and inspire people to get involved in the revolution. Ordinary people can make a

difference through a simple picture, a song, or through technology, such as computers. This
shows how powerful music and art are, because despite all the hardships that life may bring, it

will always be there as a means of expression for the soul.

The Iranian Revolution 13

References

Chelkowski, P. J. (1999). Staging a Revolution : The Art of Persuasion in the Islamic Republic

of

Iran. NY: New York University Press.

DaVinci, L. (2010). Leonardo da Vinci quotes. Retrieved from Think Exist website:

http://thinkexist.com/‌quotation/‌painting_is_poetry_that_is_seen_rather_than_felt/‌170397.html

Frost, R. (2010). Robert Frost Quotes. Retrieved from Think Exist website:

http://thinkexist.com/‌quotation/‌painting_is_poetry_that_is_seen_rather_than_felt/‌170397.

html

Greenblatt, M. (2003). Iran: Enchantment of the world. Enchantment of the World Second

Series. New York: Children’s Press.

Habibian, M. (1998, August). Under wraps on the stage: women in the performing arts in post-

revolutionary Iran. Retrieved December 13, 2010, from Humanities High School of New

York website: http://hf.uib.no/‌smi/‌pao/‌habibian.html

Hooker, R. (1996). The Iranian Revolution. Retrieved December 19, 2010, from

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/SHIA/REV.HTM

The Iranian Revolution 14

Images from the Iranian Revolution. (2002, September 28). Retrieved December 11, 2010, from

Social Design Notes website: http://backspace.com/‌notes/‌2002/‌09/‌images-from-the-

iranian-revolution.php

Iran. (n.d.). Press Reference. Retrieved from http://www.pressreference.com/Gu-Ku/Iran.html

Iranian Revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2010, from Absolute Astronomy

database.

Islamic Revolution of 1979. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2010, from Iran Chamber Society

website: http://www.iranchamber.com/‌history/‌islamic_revolution/‌islamic_revolution.php

Iran's Underground Music Revolution [Iran's Underground Music Revolution].

(2007, May 26). Asharq Alawsat. Retrieved from http://www.aawsat.com/

english/news.asp?section=3&id=9082

Lundberg, J. (2009, June 28). Poetry Of The Revolution. Retrieved December 18, 2010, from

The Huffington Post website: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/‌john-lundberg/‌poetry-of-the-

revolution_b_221590.html
Mohammadi, A. (1994). Small Media, Big Revolution. Retrieved December 19, 2010, from

http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/S/sreberny-mohammadi_small.html

Mohammadi, A. (2010, December 19). Small Media, Big Revolution: Communication, Culture,

and the Iranian Revolution. Retrieved from

The Iranian Revolution 15

http://www.cjconline.ca/index.php/journal/article/viewArticle/950/856

Nardone, J. (2009, November 6). X-Rated Reading: Literary Censorship in Iran. Retrieved

December 18, 2010, from University for Peace and Conflict website:

http://www.monitor.upeace.org/‌innerpg.cfm?id_article=669

Nasab, H. (2005, January 8). Poetry and revolution. Retrieved December 18, 2010, from

http://www.iranian.com/‌Books/‌2005/‌January/‌Journey/‌index.html

Parsa, M. (1989). The Mosque and Islamic Forces. In Social Origins of the Iranian Revolution

(pp.189-190). New Brunswick and London: Rutgers University Press.

Poem for Neda Agha Soltan, Murdered in Tehran. (2009, June 23). Retrieved from Levantine

Cultural Center database from http://www.levantinecenter.org/levantine-review/poem-

neda-agha-soltan-murdered-tehran
Revolution. Retrieved December 19, 2010, from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/50914/

william-b-quandt/small-media-big-revolution-communication-culture-and-the-iranian

Wolf, I., & Happell, C. (2009, July 23). Iran: Revolution and poetry. Retrieved December 18,

2010, from Intern Edition website: http://www.npr.org/‌internedition/‌sum09/‌?p=187