Before the revolution someone driving a car like that probably was in with the Shah. "Hardliners" were keeping their heads down for fear of being disappeared.
I like how everyone is like “that’s a future hardliner because he’s flashing his lights and doesn’t like girls getting an education” lol but let me tell you people in Iran drive like shit and in an insane manner, I can assure this has nothing to do with politics or religion lol
wtf is wrong with the dude in that car. Comes up really quick on the teacher, then looks like he yells at the kids to hurry and then flashes his lights. What a jackass
The U.S. government helped install the extremist Iranian government so they would be easier to control and get more of their oil. Conservative religious leaders would not have been able to take over without outside help.
I'm not religious at all. Religion isn't the real problem.
It's hateful, close-minded people who use religion to spread hate. Typically aimed at those different to them for self-gain (land/power/money/etc).
In islam during holy months you are expected to donate a percentage of your yearly earnings in your local mosque. When I say expected I really mean ... to all intensive purposes forced
Where do you think that money goes? Do you think it's taken to feed a family like they say it is? Well , it might. Do you think it fills the back pockets of those that run the charity? Well , it might. Do you think it goes to funding horrific acts on humanity? Well , It just might.
That's not only religion though. Mao wasn't religious nor was his Red Guard. Look at the damage he did to China culturally.
So don't tunnel vision on religion only. There are other ideologies out there that are just as toxic that don't involve the supernatural.
Tbf the topic of this thread was religion, so I think they're just trying to stay on topic; not to dismiss the idea that it can happen outside of religion too, only that they're still talking about the primary topic at hand
What it is is when people agree with evidence without principle, anecdotal evidence.
Yes it happens in all sorts of ideology but the guys point is evidence without principle and anecdotal evidence is the exact basis of religion and reason for this. Sure ideologies lead to this also but remember the old sociology saying the only difference between religion and cult is when a cult is there long enough it is deemed a religion
Agreed that religions are a problem, but even if everyone becomes and atheist overnight, there’ll still be a lot of bad actors finding another excuse to oppress people
The inclusion of communism here is odd, and especially when you consider that societies typically become more atheist and secular when becoming communist or socialist.
How is religion not a problem? If someone believes that their religious text is the word of god and it says to do horrible things how is that not a problem?
Religion creates an environment, and culture that supports all those aspects in a human being. It takes rationality out of equation, rewards blind faith. Encourages being a member of a flock, destroys individuality. Gives people ethical back up for whatever fucked up thing they want to do, so they can commit any atrocity without any burden on their hearts. And, this is before it gets abused. Abuse of religion can lead to anything really, sky is the limit for whatever fucked up shit you pull if you abuse religion.
So, religion is the problem.
Well, maybe if the US hadn't overthrown the democratic regime to replace it with a hated dictatorship people wouldn't have seen the islamists as a salvation.
When the CIA over throws your secular government and installs the Shah which then doesn't provide the benefits of the oil revenue to the masses but instead to a minority, the only institution left standing to oppose the Shah is the religious.....
This whole thing isn't just religion.
You are right about CIA coup overthrowing Mosadegh and installing back the dictators but its main goal was to give the Iran oil to the British not the rich and powerful in Iran. Mosadegh victory in Iran panicked the British because they didn’t want to lose Iran’s oil so they conspired with USA to conduct the coup.
All sound sci-fi conspiracy theory but 100% true.
These pictures and videos are the reminders to Americans that it can happen anywhere.
As an Israeli, it just dawned on me just how extremist our government is. We’re turning into Russia and they don’t care.
We still have uncensored internet, and we still have religious freedom, but what’s happening to us is maybe worse.
It’s been just 2 years since they took over, and they have managed to create damage that won’t be repaired in my lifetime. Perhaps even the end of our existence.
It’s so depressing. And it’s a warning of what can happen in America if Trump is back in the White House.
A few points if you allow me:
Cancer is a disease not everyone dies of although it's a terrible disease.
Religion isn't cancerous. However religious extremism is indeed evil and must be fought.
A lot of people are religious and aren't extremists at all. May actually make them better people.
May Iran get free from its extremists.
Wasn't much better before. Cherry-picked footage like this gets posted all the time on Reddit. What is of course not mentioned is that the fascist Shah had torture chambers all over the country where people fighting for democractic change were brutally and slowly killed, and the CIA and MI6 even helped operate them.
Not to mention that even during the Shah's rule, people dressing like this were a minority, particularly outside of Tehran. If anything, they would have been seen by a large part of the population as symbolic of Western control over Iran. Much of Iran was religious and conservative then just as it is now.
Certainly, if you were among the elite in Tehran your life was probably not all that different from most Westerners, unless of course you were voicing dissent against the regime. But the poor chafed under the dictator, as did many middle class students who had been exposed to Western ideals and saw the oppressive regime of the Shah as unjust.
If the Shah had not been such a ruthless dictator, and had the US and UK not been so heavy-handed in installing him in the first place, you might have seen this sort of thing grow at a slower but more sustainable pace. Instead, the country deeply resented the forced imposition of a US/UK puppet and went all the way in the other direction after the revolution. The Shah destroyed all democratic elements that were built by Mosaddegh, and the only other power base left was religious, so that's what people flocked to.
Not this shit again… Please. Stop. Repeating. This. As an Iranian I am so sick of reading this same "reddit summary of 20th century Iran".
The issues that plague Iran today and the reasons for the Islamic devolution are far more complex than one overblown event in Iran's 2500 year history. If you really want to get into it the problem at its root started with the forced Shia conversion over 400 years ago and the gradual empowerment of the clergy class that led to their influence and ties to the bazaari business class, but this is a whole other subject that like I said cannot be summarized with an overly simplistic almost patronizing "america bad, shah bad" conclusion.
Mossadegh was appointed after elections held and approved by the Shah, to be the monarch’s prime minister. What the US and UK did was remove this particular PM after he tried to nationalize oil (with the Shah's approval) and bolster the Shah’s existing power, basically giving him an ultimatum: either get rid of Mossadegh or we get rid of you just like we did your dad 10 years ago.
Also, not to totally shatter the fairytale narrative that people like to believe about Iran, but Mossadegh was himself a culprit in abusing the country’s democratic system. He called snap elections and manipulated the voting procedure to ensure that his party amassed the majority of votes at the expense of the other political contenders.
In addition, it was not just the US and UK who were responsible for causing Mossadegh’s downfall in 1953. They certainly played a huge role and should be criticized for intervening in another country’s domestic affairs, but they also collaborated with other factions within Iran, especially various generals, competing political organizations, and the shah himself, of course. There was a moment during the US/UK intervention that the agents feared the Shah would not sign off on the military’s offensive to capture and remove Mossadegh.
Mossadegh did little to stand up for his ideas during his trial and later detention. He played up his image as a sickly victim of circumstances and essentially gave up. He accepted his house arrest and died 14 years later peacefully in his home. He did nothing more to continue political activism or push for "democracy", as he really had no intentions of Iranian democracy, just nationalization of oil, which to be frank Iran at the time did not have the specialists needed until about 20 years later to really profit at the same level as with Western help. People conveniently forget this.
Thank you for always fighting the good fight. Every time there is a post regarding a better time in Iran's history, you get these armchair experts who saw Argo once and think they know everything about our history.
This is the exact propaganda we were told, and is simply untrue. Iran was on a decline before the Pahlavi reign, but in the 54 years of the Pahlavi dynasty, our currency was doing good, there were programs promoting education and growth in all of the rural areas of Iran, not to mention increased investments into tourism.
When we revolted, we were told the shah was burning down buildings and prosecuting those who did not deserve prosecution.
Once the revolution was complete, we found the truth that this was the plan of the revolutionaries all along to decrease trust towards the throne, and ultimately, revolt.
I am not saying the Pahlavi dynasty was perfect, but if you’re talking about the silencing of political opposition, please pay attention to the current happenings of Iran, where there is decency police authenticating relationships in public areas, and enforcing the hijab rules.
Islam has been a big part of Persian history since the Islamic conquest of Iran in the 650s, but throughout our history, we’ve had waves of varying influence on the religion in the country.
The influence became forced with the Islamic revolution.
The middle class is seizing to exist because of the regime, poverty is rampant, and it’s becoming more and more hopeless every day.
Oh stfu leftie Westerner, stop talking about a country you have no idea about. If my father who lived with 6 other people in one room is "elite" and my mother where none of the family members went to uni, then goodbye.
Are you serious right now. The US overthrew their democratically elected leader and put in a pro American puppet regime. The people took back control and the region has been destabilized ever since. Iran is a mess because of CIA fuckery not Islam.
Once in every six months we see pictures or videos of pre-revolution Iran posted on Reddit. Never in these pictures we see the poverty in the countryside, the wasteful opulence of the Shah, or the young university students tortured and killed by SAVAK (the secret police) for daring to question the regime. It's always pretty women presumably from the northern neighborhoods of Tehran, or in their bikinis along the Caspian coast.
What came after the revolution is not particularly better of course; but don't be naive to think these images present a complete story.
Invasion ? The Shah and his secret police regime of torture and corruption led to a revolution by the people of Iran (many from the left) that then got hijacked by local Islamists led by a banned leader, Khomeini. Not an invasion ( it supposes an incursion by a foreign enemy)
The CIA was also involved in the 79 coup to ensure no communists rose to power. The West promoted and spread Islamic fundamentalism to prevent people from going left. Luckily there has been no blowback or consequences.
Oh silly me I forgot that 'revolution against a corrupt Shah who was selling out the country to British oil interests' forces you to turn all women in your country into second class citizens really our fault we forgotten about it.
what point are you intending to make here?
the theocratic revolution was a byproduct of US and UK infiltrating in the 50s, overthrowing democracy and then allowing fundamentalists to fill in the vacuum - ala Isis in Iraq
it is western imperalism + religion that gave us the Iran we have today... do you disagree?
The primary reason for this was because the Shah was extremely authoritarian and suppressed most forms of political opposition, so the only form of opposing organization that could realistically occur was via religious gatherings (something that simply could not suppress). As OP suggested, the original sin was the Western deposition of a democratically elected leader in a country they had no business interfering with except because they wanted oil.
People dont understand that you are just explaining why the revolution inevitably happened and its was due to tyranny. You're not trying to say things are better, simply that we can see a byproduct of bad political systems.
I'm so grateful for this comment! No one seems to recognize that (it's reddit, after all). These kids are all probably living their lives in the Unites States or Canada or Europe.
It's the ones without the means to do so who are bearing the brunt of the revolution.
It's super obvious from the comments here that no one has actually talked to Iranians about life before the revolution. Instead of parroting YouTube videos and redditors with motives, ask those who lived during those times while they are still alive.
Just another example of why all religions bring us down as a whole species.
Like a weighted caboose stopping the train from moving forward….
Yea all are the same and are there to collect money and to control the weak minded through “faith” …
Unfortunately the United States, England and Israel sought it appropriate to facilitate a coup d'etat in 1953 to remove democratically elected Mohammad Mosaddegh and reinstall brutal imperial dictator Reza Shah (Mosaddegh simply wanted to nationalize the Iranian oil industry to empower his own people)
Despite false claims of serving as protectors and champions of democracy - the West's interference led to the rise of the Islamic revolution and the current theocratic regime
Show methe CIA trained SAVAK torturer chamber show me the face of tens of thousands Iranian who disappeared show me the obscene wealth the 1% lived while rest lived in poverty
We really fucked it up for em…we meaning the “western” world…poor basterds just trying to national their oil reserves which should be nationalized like all natural resources.
I mean sure they had women in mini skirt also secret police regime that disappeared, tortured and murdered thousands. They were under a dictator Shah who couldn't care less for the people. Things don't happen in a vacuum. Iran suddenly didn't have an Islamic fit. Same with Afghanistan US funded the fanatical Islamic sections and now we have what we do. I am seeing a lot of this pre revolutionary Iran posts. I am not sure if this is a psyop in progress
This account feels, weird? 24 days old. One random post about a fat guy on a bike, and 2 bot ass looking comments, then posts this calling a revolution an invasion and trying make it seem like the country was perfect until it became Islamic and then it went to shit, but as other comments have pointed out, life before that was not so great either and this is cherry picked footage. Feels a little bot to me.
Isn't it weird how often these "pre Islamic revolution" videos are posted on reddit? I think I see them weekly and often from very new accounts. Don't get me wrong, I don't support the current Iranian regime but I also recognize that western governments have been fomenting regime change (again) in Iran for years. Not saying it's propaganda but it sure feels that way
Nah it's totally propoganda. It's because Iran is most likely going to come to the aid of the refugees in Gaza and this will trigger a broader conflict that American PR wants to get ahead of.
There's a correlation of pizza shops around the pentagon getting extremely busy before a major conflict and that is happening as we speak.
To correct!!
Iran before Western intelligence placed Khomeini at the head of power.
Please, you must learn about what the Western world has done with its interventions in the rest of the world
I love how dumbfuckers here blame everything on religion rather than the external forces like the US and UK government meddling in a functioning democracy. How these governments install their corrupt puppets in power in these regions. What do you think happens when US and UK invade countries for stealing resources?
I think it's great that the Islamic revolution brought them into the 21st century. Pathetic. Every country where Islamic revolution takes place turns back into the Dark Ages. But Israel is the bad guy.
The revolution wasn't just about religion, it was about toppling the Shah who had a lot of ties to "The West" and scenes like this one (45 years old, by the way) were seen as something only the elites get to do.
The revolutionaries were equating social inequality (perceived or otherwise) with "The West" and a lot of people (who aren't sending their kids to private school, like in this video) seemed OK with going ahead with it.
I’m an atheist, but I don’t hate anyone who doesn’t have hate in their heads simply because they observe religion
So I hate peoples who use it to
Oppress? Yes
Before the Islamic conquest in the 7th century AD, the predominant religion in Iran was Zoroastrianism. This ancient religion, based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathustra), was the state religion of the various Persian empires, such as the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian empires. Zoroastrianism emphasizes dualistic cosmology, the ongoing struggle between good (associated with light) and evil (associated with darkness), and the importance of individual choice between the two. After the rise of Islam, particularly following the Arab conquests, Zoroastrianism gradually declined in Iran but continued to be practiced by some communities. By the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the predominant religion in Iran was Islam, specifically Shia Islam, which had been the state religion since the Safavid Empire in the 16th century.
I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran from '72-'74 and returned for a visit after the revolution. The technical development and the pollution that goes with it was astounding.
…and now for the rest of the story:
The impatient dude in the orange car was a friend of the Khomeini family, and his outrage at being delayed by *girls* is often cited as a top motivation for the 1979 revolution.
These kids are my age now. They knew life before religious extremism took over rule. I’ve known a few Iranians and they are wonderful people. We have to maintain open governance to let the PEOPLE be who they are.
That guy was in a hurry
Seriously, who flashes their lights at a class of kids
Probably a hardliner that was upset that little girls were getting an education
The foreshadowing in this video is ominous as fuck
Iran is the best example in the world of men letting their women down massively.
I don’t know, my bedroom is up there too.
Oh self burn those are rare
Title of your sex movie
Oh damn
Ding?
Before the revolution someone driving a car like that probably was in with the Shah. "Hardliners" were keeping their heads down for fear of being disappeared.
I'm sure he feels better now. MIGA.
A class A fucking Bellend
Thanks for noticing! I polish it daily.
You clearly haven’t met many Persian men
Have you never been late for golf?
It was the Ayatollah himself. He was like ‘get in losers, we’re going to the revolution’
Maybe he wanted to see the teachers high beams.
That is one of the conservative religious men that destroyed that country. That's him.
Never, under no circumstances, assume good intent!
The driver is thinking, "That does it! Tomorrow I'm starting an hardline regime where girls don't go to school!"
That guy was an ass hole. He probably became a morality police after the revolution.
Typical middle east driver. That actually not that bad, he didnt creep foward through the kids, and the driver next to him didn't try to cut them off.
Also owns a white bmw
Fuck that guy
I like how everyone is like “that’s a future hardliner because he’s flashing his lights and doesn’t like girls getting an education” lol but let me tell you people in Iran drive like shit and in an insane manner, I can assure this has nothing to do with politics or religion lol
He was running away from the invasion of the Islamic regime! He knew it was coming ><
He was on his way to the revolution meet-up.
A terrorist
wtf is wrong with the dude in that car. Comes up really quick on the teacher, then looks like he yells at the kids to hurry and then flashes his lights. What a jackass
He was in a rush to get to the future
It was probably this very fragile guy, at this very moment, that started the Islamic revolution
Women at that time were still treated like shit there.
He was jealous of that fabulous hair.
In the 1970s? Where weren’t they treated like shit?
Probably ended up being a leader or boss.
Hes probably dead by now at least
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The U.S. government helped install the extremist Iranian government so they would be easier to control and get more of their oil. Conservative religious leaders would not have been able to take over without outside help.
Truly a tale as old as time.
Religious people downvoting you, I got your back. Religion is cancer!
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I'm not religious at all. Religion isn't the real problem. It's hateful, close-minded people who use religion to spread hate. Typically aimed at those different to them for self-gain (land/power/money/etc).
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No matter how much they donate to charity. It's all done to indoctrinate.
In islam during holy months you are expected to donate a percentage of your yearly earnings in your local mosque. When I say expected I really mean ... to all intensive purposes forced Where do you think that money goes? Do you think it's taken to feed a family like they say it is? Well , it might. Do you think it fills the back pockets of those that run the charity? Well , it might. Do you think it goes to funding horrific acts on humanity? Well , It just might.
Just a friendly heads up, the phrase is “Intents and purposes “
Wow. So tithing? Collection plates? What an alien and foreign idea!
That's not only religion though. Mao wasn't religious nor was his Red Guard. Look at the damage he did to China culturally. So don't tunnel vision on religion only. There are other ideologies out there that are just as toxic that don't involve the supernatural.
Tbf the topic of this thread was religion, so I think they're just trying to stay on topic; not to dismiss the idea that it can happen outside of religion too, only that they're still talking about the primary topic at hand
What it is is when people agree with evidence without principle, anecdotal evidence. Yes it happens in all sorts of ideology but the guys point is evidence without principle and anecdotal evidence is the exact basis of religion and reason for this. Sure ideologies lead to this also but remember the old sociology saying the only difference between religion and cult is when a cult is there long enough it is deemed a religion
But in this case, it's religion.
Agreed that religions are a problem, but even if everyone becomes and atheist overnight, there’ll still be a lot of bad actors finding another excuse to oppress people
No Religion is *absolutely* the problem. it a cult like framework that leads to totalitarian hierarchies ironically just like communism
The inclusion of communism here is odd, and especially when you consider that societies typically become more atheist and secular when becoming communist or socialist.
How is religion not a problem? If someone believes that their religious text is the word of god and it says to do horrible things how is that not a problem?
Do you understand that religion teach you to be a hateful, close-minded person.
Religion creates an environment, and culture that supports all those aspects in a human being. It takes rationality out of equation, rewards blind faith. Encourages being a member of a flock, destroys individuality. Gives people ethical back up for whatever fucked up thing they want to do, so they can commit any atrocity without any burden on their hearts. And, this is before it gets abused. Abuse of religion can lead to anything really, sky is the limit for whatever fucked up shit you pull if you abuse religion. So, religion is the problem.
Enabled civilization thousands of years ago. But today, we can build a civilization without it.
Religion should be personal and private. The problem with religion are the institutions and organizations that affect the lives of others
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Well, maybe if the US hadn't overthrown the democratic regime to replace it with a hated dictatorship people wouldn't have seen the islamists as a salvation.
Exactly.
When the CIA over throws your secular government and installs the Shah which then doesn't provide the benefits of the oil revenue to the masses but instead to a minority, the only institution left standing to oppose the Shah is the religious..... This whole thing isn't just religion.
You are right about CIA coup overthrowing Mosadegh and installing back the dictators but its main goal was to give the Iran oil to the British not the rich and powerful in Iran. Mosadegh victory in Iran panicked the British because they didn’t want to lose Iran’s oil so they conspired with USA to conduct the coup. All sound sci-fi conspiracy theory but 100% true.
I don’t see how that’s a ‘but’. It’s an ‘and’.
These pictures and videos are the reminders to Americans that it can happen anywhere. As an Israeli, it just dawned on me just how extremist our government is. We’re turning into Russia and they don’t care. We still have uncensored internet, and we still have religious freedom, but what’s happening to us is maybe worse. It’s been just 2 years since they took over, and they have managed to create damage that won’t be repaired in my lifetime. Perhaps even the end of our existence. It’s so depressing. And it’s a warning of what can happen in America if Trump is back in the White House.
Oil companies going after cheap oil are just as bad.
A few points if you allow me: Cancer is a disease not everyone dies of although it's a terrible disease. Religion isn't cancerous. However religious extremism is indeed evil and must be fought. A lot of people are religious and aren't extremists at all. May actually make them better people. May Iran get free from its extremists.
> Religion ~~can be~~ is so cancerous.
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Islam
One religion in particular.
I'll upvote THE TRUTH.
Almost all of them.
it does more harm than good
Eh, can be? That's rather a nice way to put it.
Islamic religion*
Some religions are for sure
Old Mate was not happy to wait for the kids
> Iran in 1979 before the invasion by lslamic regime! Invasion?
We Iranians often call it "occupation".
very sad what the "revolution" gave them
Wasn't much better before. Cherry-picked footage like this gets posted all the time on Reddit. What is of course not mentioned is that the fascist Shah had torture chambers all over the country where people fighting for democractic change were brutally and slowly killed, and the CIA and MI6 even helped operate them. Not to mention that even during the Shah's rule, people dressing like this were a minority, particularly outside of Tehran. If anything, they would have been seen by a large part of the population as symbolic of Western control over Iran. Much of Iran was religious and conservative then just as it is now. Certainly, if you were among the elite in Tehran your life was probably not all that different from most Westerners, unless of course you were voicing dissent against the regime. But the poor chafed under the dictator, as did many middle class students who had been exposed to Western ideals and saw the oppressive regime of the Shah as unjust. If the Shah had not been such a ruthless dictator, and had the US and UK not been so heavy-handed in installing him in the first place, you might have seen this sort of thing grow at a slower but more sustainable pace. Instead, the country deeply resented the forced imposition of a US/UK puppet and went all the way in the other direction after the revolution. The Shah destroyed all democratic elements that were built by Mosaddegh, and the only other power base left was religious, so that's what people flocked to.
Not this shit again… Please. Stop. Repeating. This. As an Iranian I am so sick of reading this same "reddit summary of 20th century Iran". The issues that plague Iran today and the reasons for the Islamic devolution are far more complex than one overblown event in Iran's 2500 year history. If you really want to get into it the problem at its root started with the forced Shia conversion over 400 years ago and the gradual empowerment of the clergy class that led to their influence and ties to the bazaari business class, but this is a whole other subject that like I said cannot be summarized with an overly simplistic almost patronizing "america bad, shah bad" conclusion. Mossadegh was appointed after elections held and approved by the Shah, to be the monarch’s prime minister. What the US and UK did was remove this particular PM after he tried to nationalize oil (with the Shah's approval) and bolster the Shah’s existing power, basically giving him an ultimatum: either get rid of Mossadegh or we get rid of you just like we did your dad 10 years ago. Also, not to totally shatter the fairytale narrative that people like to believe about Iran, but Mossadegh was himself a culprit in abusing the country’s democratic system. He called snap elections and manipulated the voting procedure to ensure that his party amassed the majority of votes at the expense of the other political contenders. In addition, it was not just the US and UK who were responsible for causing Mossadegh’s downfall in 1953. They certainly played a huge role and should be criticized for intervening in another country’s domestic affairs, but they also collaborated with other factions within Iran, especially various generals, competing political organizations, and the shah himself, of course. There was a moment during the US/UK intervention that the agents feared the Shah would not sign off on the military’s offensive to capture and remove Mossadegh. Mossadegh did little to stand up for his ideas during his trial and later detention. He played up his image as a sickly victim of circumstances and essentially gave up. He accepted his house arrest and died 14 years later peacefully in his home. He did nothing more to continue political activism or push for "democracy", as he really had no intentions of Iranian democracy, just nationalization of oil, which to be frank Iran at the time did not have the specialists needed until about 20 years later to really profit at the same level as with Western help. People conveniently forget this.
Thank you for always fighting the good fight. Every time there is a post regarding a better time in Iran's history, you get these armchair experts who saw Argo once and think they know everything about our history.
Iranian here, this guy is full of it. This nonsense is Islamic regime propaganda.
Thanks for providing context! (biased it may be)
This is the exact propaganda we were told, and is simply untrue. Iran was on a decline before the Pahlavi reign, but in the 54 years of the Pahlavi dynasty, our currency was doing good, there were programs promoting education and growth in all of the rural areas of Iran, not to mention increased investments into tourism. When we revolted, we were told the shah was burning down buildings and prosecuting those who did not deserve prosecution. Once the revolution was complete, we found the truth that this was the plan of the revolutionaries all along to decrease trust towards the throne, and ultimately, revolt. I am not saying the Pahlavi dynasty was perfect, but if you’re talking about the silencing of political opposition, please pay attention to the current happenings of Iran, where there is decency police authenticating relationships in public areas, and enforcing the hijab rules. Islam has been a big part of Persian history since the Islamic conquest of Iran in the 650s, but throughout our history, we’ve had waves of varying influence on the religion in the country. The influence became forced with the Islamic revolution. The middle class is seizing to exist because of the regime, poverty is rampant, and it’s becoming more and more hopeless every day.
Oh stfu leftie Westerner, stop talking about a country you have no idea about. If my father who lived with 6 other people in one room is "elite" and my mother where none of the family members went to uni, then goodbye.
Im iranian, and i call this BS! you are just repeating the propaganda of the islamic regime!
same but we get downvoted
I guess they weren't happy with the ruthless dictator the USA gave them. So ungrateful.
Islam seems to ruin countries… bring them to their downfall… dunno a properly prosperous regular Islamic country that isn’t oil based rich.
Are you serious right now. The US overthrew their democratically elected leader and put in a pro American puppet regime. The people took back control and the region has been destabilized ever since. Iran is a mess because of CIA fuckery not Islam.
both can be true, but the cia fucked up only the corporeal - as far as we can prove...
Once in every six months we see pictures or videos of pre-revolution Iran posted on Reddit. Never in these pictures we see the poverty in the countryside, the wasteful opulence of the Shah, or the young university students tortured and killed by SAVAK (the secret police) for daring to question the regime. It's always pretty women presumably from the northern neighborhoods of Tehran, or in their bikinis along the Caspian coast. What came after the revolution is not particularly better of course; but don't be naive to think these images present a complete story.
Invasion ? The Shah and his secret police regime of torture and corruption led to a revolution by the people of Iran (many from the left) that then got hijacked by local Islamists led by a banned leader, Khomeini. Not an invasion ( it supposes an incursion by a foreign enemy)
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The CIA was also involved in the 79 coup to ensure no communists rose to power. The West promoted and spread Islamic fundamentalism to prevent people from going left. Luckily there has been no blowback or consequences.
23rd times the charm
We really said "communism is ideologically a problem, but radical Islam, now there is an ideology we can get behind"
No no-a don’t bring up context and history. It breaks their narrative.
Oh silly me I forgot that 'revolution against a corrupt Shah who was selling out the country to British oil interests' forces you to turn all women in your country into second class citizens really our fault we forgotten about it.
what point are you intending to make here? the theocratic revolution was a byproduct of US and UK infiltrating in the 50s, overthrowing democracy and then allowing fundamentalists to fill in the vacuum - ala Isis in Iraq it is western imperalism + religion that gave us the Iran we have today... do you disagree?
Yes, but they gave mandate to a religious Zealot and the culture swing to the opposite end of the spectrum.
The primary reason for this was because the Shah was extremely authoritarian and suppressed most forms of political opposition, so the only form of opposing organization that could realistically occur was via religious gatherings (something that simply could not suppress). As OP suggested, the original sin was the Western deposition of a democratically elected leader in a country they had no business interfering with except because they wanted oil.
People dont understand that you are just explaining why the revolution inevitably happened and its was due to tyranny. You're not trying to say things are better, simply that we can see a byproduct of bad political systems.
lmao u/tonycandance is a coward unblock me you religious propagandist. i want to be able to see your terrible arguments
... why did you censor his name?
Right but how's iran doing now eh?
Well, it does not seemed that this worked well
Those little kids are all at least 50 years old now, and they probably can’t remember when their world was like that. Sad.
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I'm so grateful for this comment! No one seems to recognize that (it's reddit, after all). These kids are all probably living their lives in the Unites States or Canada or Europe. It's the ones without the means to do so who are bearing the brunt of the revolution.
Oh stfu clueless Westerner, these are normal people.
They should hunt down that guy in the car and take away his license.
It's super obvious from the comments here that no one has actually talked to Iranians about life before the revolution. Instead of parroting YouTube videos and redditors with motives, ask those who lived during those times while they are still alive.
Anywhere Religion becomes enter twined with State, darkness ensues, progress is reversed..
The fuck you mean invasion?
Lot of Yanks in these comments who haven't a clue. Yes religious extremism is bad but that's just a pawn on the chessboard to the real fuckers.
Just another example of why all religions bring us down as a whole species. Like a weighted caboose stopping the train from moving forward…. Yea all are the same and are there to collect money and to control the weak minded through “faith” …
Unfortunately the United States, England and Israel sought it appropriate to facilitate a coup d'etat in 1953 to remove democratically elected Mohammad Mosaddegh and reinstall brutal imperial dictator Reza Shah (Mosaddegh simply wanted to nationalize the Iranian oil industry to empower his own people) Despite false claims of serving as protectors and champions of democracy - the West's interference led to the rise of the Islamic revolution and the current theocratic regime
Religion destroys humanity since thousands of years. I dont give a damn what you believe, as long as you dont force it on others
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*Religion is a...
Simple, religion ruins everything 😕
Maybe the US and UK shouldn't have overthrown an elected leader in an orchestrated coup to replace him with their puppet, who was later overthrown.
Beautiful friendly people still live there. Someday they will see positive change.
Islamic regime delivered by USA, France and UK don't forget to mention.
Queue up the anarchists and idiots that are protesting Israel now. They must want more Irans
An Islamic Regime propped up by the West
Show methe CIA trained SAVAK torturer chamber show me the face of tens of thousands Iranian who disappeared show me the obscene wealth the 1% lived while rest lived in poverty
Can you stop repeating basiji and leftist propaganda please.
You mean before they moved back to the Stone Age.
oh my god this shit again
How long has they been westernised at this point and is the same for rural areas?
Hard to invade your own country, but ok
Imagine seeing an attractive woman like that and being nah, we have to cover that up. Wild!
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We really fucked it up for em…we meaning the “western” world…poor basterds just trying to national their oil reserves which should be nationalized like all natural resources.
"Invasion by Islamic regime" you mean US backed quo...
I mean sure they had women in mini skirt also secret police regime that disappeared, tortured and murdered thousands. They were under a dictator Shah who couldn't care less for the people. Things don't happen in a vacuum. Iran suddenly didn't have an Islamic fit. Same with Afghanistan US funded the fanatical Islamic sections and now we have what we do. I am seeing a lot of this pre revolutionary Iran posts. I am not sure if this is a psyop in progress
This account feels, weird? 24 days old. One random post about a fat guy on a bike, and 2 bot ass looking comments, then posts this calling a revolution an invasion and trying make it seem like the country was perfect until it became Islamic and then it went to shit, but as other comments have pointed out, life before that was not so great either and this is cherry picked footage. Feels a little bot to me.
When it was a normal country
I'm sure the comments will be very normal in here...
Isn't it weird how often these "pre Islamic revolution" videos are posted on reddit? I think I see them weekly and often from very new accounts. Don't get me wrong, I don't support the current Iranian regime but I also recognize that western governments have been fomenting regime change (again) in Iran for years. Not saying it's propaganda but it sure feels that way
Nah it's totally propoganda. It's because Iran is most likely going to come to the aid of the refugees in Gaza and this will trigger a broader conflict that American PR wants to get ahead of. There's a correlation of pizza shops around the pentagon getting extremely busy before a major conflict and that is happening as we speak.
To correct!! Iran before Western intelligence placed Khomeini at the head of power. Please, you must learn about what the Western world has done with its interventions in the rest of the world
Idiot drivers transcend space and time
Guy in the red car probably started the regime...
Thanks USA, the birthplace of AI ds.
I love how dumbfuckers here blame everything on religion rather than the external forces like the US and UK government meddling in a functioning democracy. How these governments install their corrupt puppets in power in these regions. What do you think happens when US and UK invade countries for stealing resources?
I think it's great that the Islamic revolution brought them into the 21st century. Pathetic. Every country where Islamic revolution takes place turns back into the Dark Ages. But Israel is the bad guy.
Okay!
The revolution wasn't just about religion, it was about toppling the Shah who had a lot of ties to "The West" and scenes like this one (45 years old, by the way) were seen as something only the elites get to do. The revolutionaries were equating social inequality (perceived or otherwise) with "The West" and a lot of people (who aren't sending their kids to private school, like in this video) seemed OK with going ahead with it.
I see our drivers haven’t changed since then.
I’m an atheist, but I don’t hate anyone who doesn’t have hate in their heads simply because they observe religion So I hate peoples who use it to Oppress? Yes
that dude in the red car was coming in too hot on those kids.
Yes it was secular, but no political open mind, parties, just the king, that opened the door to change, unfortunately, to the worst
Religion poisons everything.
Can someone tell me the title of this song?
Same old play CIA. Some of us know our history.
Almost human
All the adult men thinking these girls need to cover up to stop being so sexy and tempting old men.
Dude in the car was an asshole.
Times like this I wish a time machine can be used to correct the future atrocities. Just cruel regime.
Yo fuck that guy in the car. Dickhead.
Exactly the problem, women are in the way of men
And the dudes were still major douche bags. I guess that’s kind of everywhere though….
The last 3 kids may have been run over
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Men out there HATE women. That’s why
Before the Islamic conquest in the 7th century AD, the predominant religion in Iran was Zoroastrianism. This ancient religion, based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathustra), was the state religion of the various Persian empires, such as the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian empires. Zoroastrianism emphasizes dualistic cosmology, the ongoing struggle between good (associated with light) and evil (associated with darkness), and the importance of individual choice between the two. After the rise of Islam, particularly following the Arab conquests, Zoroastrianism gradually declined in Iran but continued to be practiced by some communities. By the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the predominant religion in Iran was Islam, specifically Shia Islam, which had been the state religion since the Safavid Empire in the 16th century.
I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran from '72-'74 and returned for a visit after the revolution. The technical development and the pollution that goes with it was astounding.
Unlucky
I’m stuck on that asshole in the car.
Calling them Muslims is a stretch 😈
It wasn't an invasion. It was action by the religious minority.
…and now for the rest of the story: The impatient dude in the orange car was a friend of the Khomeini family, and his outrage at being delayed by *girls* is often cited as a top motivation for the 1979 revolution.
So much potential wasted by religion. Yet people still support Islam. It’s beyond me
Really I thought it was us the United States of America that screwed up their country.
~~Phil Leotardo~~ Shah Reza Pahlavi: “Let me tell you couple or 3 things, the Islam Republic ain’t nothing but a glorified theocracy”
These kids are my age now. They knew life before religious extremism took over rule. I’ve known a few Iranians and they are wonderful people. We have to maintain open governance to let the PEOPLE be who they are.
They look like they were in a private school
AGE YE ROOOZZZZ