A protest during the Iranian revolution
Thirty years ago Iran’s revolt struck a blow against US imperialism and showed the power of workers in the Middle East, writes Simon Basketter
The US government hates Iran. One reason for this is that when the Iranian people overthrew a brutal dictator in 1979 they also inflicted a massive blow to US imperialism in the Middle East.
Up until the revolution, Iran – alongside Saudi Arabia and Israel – was central to upholding US policy to ensure the stability and safety of Western oil supplies in the region.
Iran’s ruler, the Shah, was a despotic monarch brought to power in 1953 by a coup organised by the CIA and British intelligence.
Read the middle bit HERE...
The left’s failure to organise independently among workers and the poor to fight for socialism allowed Khomeini to consolidate power.
But the 1979 Iranian revolution sent shockwaves around the world.
It showed that Western-backed dictators could be overthrown by a revolution from below.
It also showed the power of workers in the Middle East and raised the possibility of workers’ control of society.
» email article | » comment on article | » printable version
© Copyright Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original and leave this notice in place.
If you found this article useful please help us maintain SW by» making a donation.
No comments:
Post a Comment