Who were the SAVAK? Explain the role of SAVAK in Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's rise to power in Iran

What will be an ideal response?


• The SAVAK refers to Shah Mohammed Pahlavi's secret police, empowered after the 1953 downfall of the democratic government.
• The shah used a fairly effective strategy to employ SAVAK.
• Rather than taking on all his enemies at once, he became selective.
He allied with one group to attack another group. SAVAK's enthusiasm for the torture and murder of political opponents complemented the policy.
After 1953 the shah found it convenient to ally with the Shi'ite holy men, who welcomed the shah's support and turned a blind eye to SAVAK's activities.
• As the clergy organized demonstrations among theology students in Qom and marches of the faithful in Tehran, the shah unleashed his forces.
• SAVAK infiltrated Shi'ite opposition groups in Tehran, and the army attacked Qom.
• There were thousands of arrests, and demonstrators were ruthlessly beaten or, in some cases, shot in the streets.
• Ruhollah Khomeini was promoted to the rank of ayatollah, and ran a campaign against the shah from Iraq.
• Under his leadership, the mosque came to be perceived as the only opposition to the shah and the hated SAVAK.
• Revolutionaries gained momentum after the election of Jimmy Carter as president of the United States in 1976.
• Carter pressured the shah to end SAVAK's human rights abuses.
• Fearful of a loss of American aid, the shah ordered SAVAK to ease off the opposition, increasing the ability of revolutionaries to operate inside Iran.

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