Middle East · 1953-1981

1979: the Iranian Revolution

In 1979 huge protests drove the Shah of Iran from his throne, and Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to build an Islamic republic. Students trace the story back to the coup of 1953, follow the revolution on the map and see how the hostage crisis changed Iran's relations with the West.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
13–16
On the map
3 steps, AD 1960
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 1979 huge protests drove the Shah of Iran from his throne, and Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to build an Islamic republic. Students trace the story back to the coup of 1953, follow the revolution on the map and see how the hostage crisis changed Iran's relations with the West.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why many Iranians turned against the Shah in the 1970s.
  • Describe how the revolution of 1978-1979 unfolded and who led it.
  • Explain how the hostage crisis of 1979-1981 changed relations between Iran and the United States.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1960

Oil and power

Open the map in 1960 and find Iran, between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. Find Abadan on the Gulf, home to a giant oil refinery. Why did foreign powers care so much about Iran?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1960

Tehran

Zoom in on Tehran below the Elburz mountains. In the autumn of 1978 millions marched here. Ask the atlas: "Why did Iranians protest against the Shah in 1978?"

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1960

Return from exile

Zoom out and find Paris. Khomeini spent his last months of exile near Paris and flew to Tehran on 1 February 1979. Why could a leader in exile still guide a revolution?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. In 1953 Britain and the United States helped overthrow the elected prime minister Mossadegh after he nationalized Iran's oil. How did that shape Iranians' view of the West?
  2. The Shah modernized Iran, but ruled with a secret police. Why did both religious Iranians and students turn against him?
  3. Cassette tapes of Khomeini's speeches were smuggled into Iran. How did new technology help the revolution?
  4. Many who marched in 1978 wanted democracy, not clerical rule. Why did Khomeini's followers win?
  5. In November 1979 students seized the US embassy and held 52 Americans for 444 days. Why do you think the hostage crisis still affects relations today?
4

Game round

10 min

Play one round of Rule History as Cyrus the Great, founder of the first Persian Empire, whom the Shah liked to compare himself with. Then discuss: why did the Shah's huge celebration of 2,500 years of monarchy in 1971 anger so many Iranians?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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