ABSTRACT
The constitutional opposition to the regime which had been stimulated by the political liberalisation programme consisted of already organised political groups and parties whose emergence was not a novel development. The revolution began with the emergence of a popular mass movement which soon turned into a formidable and uncontrollable force. This popular opposition passed through several phases. Initially it consisted of scattered and spontaneous events such as outbursts of recent rural migrants filled with anger at the demolition of their shanties by the municipal police, of labourers and low-paid government employees faced with the inflationary spiral, and of students and intellectuals haunted by the fear of SAVAK, which under the cover of official liberalisation harassed and tortured dissidents. The public was faced with shortages of food, increasing rents, prices and taxes and an acute housing problem. The massive migration of the previous years had caused overpopulation in the large cities, especially the capital. Often a whole family had to live in one rented room. The economic crisis affected in particular the recent rural migrants who had been attracted to the cities by the urban oil boom, which had now given way to recession. The regime's symbolic manoeuvres had left no impact on the life of the lower classes. The economic crisis was in no small measure due to the decline in agricultural production. The agricultural sector could not support consumption nationally. The land reforms, which had stimulated the disintegration of the countryside against a background of increasing urbanisation, had created small-holdings without increasing agricultural production. The public warehouses had stocks from the past, but corruption and hoarding were commonplace in the bureaucracy. The public thus had good reason for strong indignation and discontent.
