Paola Rivetti. 1979: TEHRAN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

“A turning point for the world”: this is how scholars and eyewitnesses described it. The 1979 revolution was the dream and aspiration of generations of activists who longed to establish a new world based on justice. Within a few months, however, Tehran was transformed from the ideal political capital for groups and collectives of all kinds into the centre of an authoritarian government, caught up in a spiral of isolation and repression.

“A turning point for the world”: that is how scholars and eyewitnesses described it. The 1979 revolution was the dream and aspiration of generations of activists who longed to establish a new, just world. Within a few months, however, Tehran was transformed from the ideal political capital for groups and collectives of all kinds into the centre of an authoritarian government, caught up in a spiral of isolation and repression. This has had significant and dramatic consequences for world politics that are still felt today.