Historical Background of Silenced Whispers
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By the start of the nineteenth century, the once mighty and prosperous Iran was plagued by a sluggish economy, an antiquated military, and an archaic way of life. The country lurched to modernity over the next two centuries, amid internal conflicts and foreign meddling. But it wasn’t until the first two decades of the twentieth century that modern Iran was forged. These pivotal years—before, during, and after World War One—began with the Constitutional Revolution in 1905 and ended in the ascent of strongman Reza Khan, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, in 1925. Even the notion of an Islamic republic was first advocated at this time by Ruhollah Khomeini, the future Ayatollah. As such, the era's legacy still impacts life and politics in Iran and beyond.
The attempts to reform Iran began in the 1820s in the aftermath of humiliating defeats to amodernized Russian army and the loss of the oil-rich, culturally vibrant, and fertile South Caucasus—Georgia, Armenia, and the modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan—by the Iranian crown prince, Abbas Mirza. But it was the Grand Vizier Amir Kabir who earnestly embarked on remaking Iran. The tenets of his reforms were breaking the hold of clerics on government, reigning in foreign powers, and exposing Iranians to modern science and technology. To increase the level of public education and enterprise, he established the first school of science in Iran, Dar-ol-Funun; sent Iranians abroad to learn; published Iran’s first modern newspaper; and encouraged entrepreneurs to build modern factories in Iran. His efforts cost him his life.
With Western science and education came Western ideas of democracy, secular laws, and social change, especially in the status and role of women. In the early twentieth century, the quest for representative government led to the formation of a parliament, the Majles.
The nascent democracy was under attack from the beginning. The clash between advocates of secular law and adherents to Islamic law, Sharia, in the Majles often spilled over onto the streets and turned violent. Meanwhile, the rival colonial powers of England and Russia exploited Iran's abundant resources while opposing any reform that threatened their interests. Further opposition came from reactionaries who profited from the status quo. The reactionaries often collaborated with one or both colonial powers to destabilize the country. One such alliance, coupled with internal conflicts, created mayhem at the dawn of World War One.
This book is the fictional tale of individuals caught in the turmoil of that era. While it is a work of fiction, it depicts historical events. Shuster’s mission, the march of women to the Majles, the Russian takeover of Northern Iran, and the gendarmes’ rebellion, among other events, really took place, and in Tehran, there really were women's societies that fought for women's rights and democracy.
The attempts to reform Iran began in the 1820s in the aftermath of humiliating defeats to amodernized Russian army and the loss of the oil-rich, culturally vibrant, and fertile South Caucasus—Georgia, Armenia, and the modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan—by the Iranian crown prince, Abbas Mirza. But it was the Grand Vizier Amir Kabir who earnestly embarked on remaking Iran. The tenets of his reforms were breaking the hold of clerics on government, reigning in foreign powers, and exposing Iranians to modern science and technology. To increase the level of public education and enterprise, he established the first school of science in Iran, Dar-ol-Funun; sent Iranians abroad to learn; published Iran’s first modern newspaper; and encouraged entrepreneurs to build modern factories in Iran. His efforts cost him his life.
With Western science and education came Western ideas of democracy, secular laws, and social change, especially in the status and role of women. In the early twentieth century, the quest for representative government led to the formation of a parliament, the Majles.
The nascent democracy was under attack from the beginning. The clash between advocates of secular law and adherents to Islamic law, Sharia, in the Majles often spilled over onto the streets and turned violent. Meanwhile, the rival colonial powers of England and Russia exploited Iran's abundant resources while opposing any reform that threatened their interests. Further opposition came from reactionaries who profited from the status quo. The reactionaries often collaborated with one or both colonial powers to destabilize the country. One such alliance, coupled with internal conflicts, created mayhem at the dawn of World War One.
This book is the fictional tale of individuals caught in the turmoil of that era. While it is a work of fiction, it depicts historical events. Shuster’s mission, the march of women to the Majles, the Russian takeover of Northern Iran, and the gendarmes’ rebellion, among other events, really took place, and in Tehran, there really were women's societies that fought for women's rights and democracy.
