Context - Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi - Scotch College Library

The Iranian revolution was violent due to the aggressive nature of Khomeini’s ruling, which was to follow the rules of Allah as stated in the Quran. This new theocracy had many followers, who were mostly Shia Muslims. Although there was much acceptance, there was a large number of people that opposed the stringent regulations put into order by Khomeini and began to revolt against the new governing system. Satrapi’s parents began protesting against the new government and witnessed harsh treatment and full-scale riots taking place in the streets. The revolution failed to take control out of the harsh rule fist of Khomeini.

After the revolution occurred and Khomeini’s government had just been put into place, the Iran Iraq War began. In September 1980, the Sunni Muslim-dominated regime of Saddam Hussein in neighboring Iraq, invaded Iran in an attempt to take advantage of revolutionary chaos and destroy the revolution in its infancy. Iran and Iranians rallied behind their new government, helping to stop and then reversing the Iraqi advance. By early 1982, Iran regained almost all of the territory captured during the invasion. Satrapi described public appeal of the war as starting off high citizen approval and support. Towards the end of the war, it seemed pointless in the eyes of those in opposition to the Iranian government.

In Persepolis, Satrapi describes the excessive power exercised by government officers during the war, in order to keep the citizens oppressed.

The title Persepolis was used in reference to the Persian empires ancient capital city. Persepolis, which is now Iran’s Takht-i Jamshīd. This ancient city was the center of the Persian Empire until Alexander the Great conquered the area, burning and demolishing Persepolis to ruins. I believe Marjane Satrapi decided to use this title because it reminds Iranians of a time when mass destruction occurred in the capital city. During the Islamic Revolution, the destruction of Tehran, Iran’s capital city, led to a rise in civilian deaths, stranding citizens without any true knowledge of why these lives were being cut short.

Works Cited “Iranian Revolution of 1978-79 — Britannica Online Encyclopedia.” Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 04 June 2011. .

“Ruhollah Khomeini — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts.” History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World History. Web. 04 June 2011. .

“Persepolis (ancient City, Iran) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia.” Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 05 June 2011.

Satrapi, M. (n.d.) Persepolis: Historical Context. Retrieved from https://satrapi1.wordpress.com/about/ on 15 June, 2015.