The history of the Iranian revolution did not end with the Iranians almost unanimously (over 98 percent) voting for the Islamic Republic in the summer of 1979, but that is where it began: where it changed its hue, its sounds, and its emotional impact. While the revolution that toppled down the monarchy was mostly peaceful, the question of revolutionary violence became central throughout the institution of a system of governance headed by the Clergy, that reconfigured a complex state apparatus imbricating legal, para-legal and extra-legal dimensions.
This multi-thematic, searchable chronology sheds light on the period of tumult and instability of power that extended from the end of the Shah’s regime to the consolidation of the post-revolutionary state in 1983. It opens new paths in the understanding of events that still hold many interrogation marks and grey zones.
Sometimes, a careful look at the order in which things happened shifts our understandings, raises new questions and connections, and become the best protection against denial.
The chronology was established by examining four daily Newspapers published in Iran (Keyhan, Etelaat, Jomoori Eslami, Ayandegan), one weekly publication (Tehran Mosavar) and four political periodics published in Iran and later in exile (Mojahed, Mardom, Kār, Bang-e Rahāyi).
The online and onsite access to these archive were provided by The Archiv für Forschung und Dokumentation Iran (AFDI) in Berlin and the Nashriyah: digital Iranian history collection at the University of Manchester Library.