Revolutions, much like Wordsworth observed in Paris following 1789, possess an undeniable and captivating power. They ignite a spirit of boldness, self-sacrifice, bravery, and even cruelty within crowds. Crucially, these seismic shifts have profoundly sculpted the modern global landscape. The transformation of the European Union due to the collapse of Marxism-Leninism in Eastern Europe, and the lingering anxieties of the Chinese Communist party stemming from the 1989 Tiananmen Square events, are testaments to this. However, arguably, an even more formative revolution of the past century, with enduring implications for our present era, was the overthrow of the Shah in Iran.
This Iranian revolution truly embodied the archetypal revolutionary spirit of 1789. Streets were transformed into barricades, with determined crowds, armed with rudimentary hunting rifles and kitchen knives, confronting tanks (British-made, as is often the case). Palaces, military barracks, and the headquarters of the secret police were stormed and looted. The once-feared uniforms of the Shah’s supposed “Immortals” were discarded in a scene of utter panic. A particularly striking, albeit disturbing, revolutionary image emerged: the body of an unfortunate police officer suspended from a lamppost. This potent visual, deemed too graphic for broadcast by the BBC in London, underscores the raw intensity of the moment.