Learn more about the History of Iranian Revolution. Also find pictures and a timeline.

The Iranian Revolution, 1979, also known as the Islamic Revolution, was the revolution that transformed Iran from a constitutional Monarchy under Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.  This revolution has been called the “third great revolution in history,” following the French and Bolshevik revolutions. 

Some might saw that the revolution is still ongoing, but it did begin in 1979 with the first major demonstrations to overthrow the Shah.  The end also could be marked as when the approval of the new theocratic constitution whereby Khomeini became supreme leader of the country in December 1979. 

What caused the Iranian Revolution?  Well Shah’s regime was very unpopular.  The regime was oppressive, corrupt, and extravagant and the Shah was obliged to—if not a puppet of—the non-Muslim Western power, or the United States, whose culture was contaminating Iran.  Political repression by SAVAK which employed censorship and imprisoned and tortured people who opposed the Shah regime.  The regime was failing.  There were bottlenecks, shortages of inflation, and an over-ambitious economic program as well as failure of the security forces to deal with protest and demonstration.  Islamic revival opposed Westernization and saw Ayatollah Khomeini as following in the footsteps of the beloved Shi’a Imam Husayn ibn Ali, and the Shah as the modern day version of Husayn’s foe, Yazid I.  The Shah also saw the Islamic movement and the anti-Shah secularists as a minor threat.  All of these things contributed to the Islamic Revolution.

The following is an Iranian Revolution timeline, with events relevant to the revolution itself:

1940’s – Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi came to power in 1941 after his father, Reza Shah, is exiled by an invasion of British and Soviet troops during WWII.  Shah Pahlavi sought to modernize and westernize Iran

1960’s – Ayatollah Khomeini is declared Marja following the death of Husain Borujerdi.  He opposed Shah Pahlavi’s revolution and attacked the Shah’s program.   Khomeini publically denounced the Shah and was arrested on June 5, 1963 and three days of riots erupted and 86 were said to have died, but Khomeini supports stated that 15,000 were killed.  In 1964, Khomeini is released and returns to Qom.  He then denounces the government’s underhanded extending of diplomatic immunity to American military personnel and again arrested and taken to Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.  He is then exiled in November and does not return for 14 years.

1970’s – Several events in the 1970’s set the stage for the Iranian Revolution.  In October 1971, the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire was held.  Foreign dignitaries were invited to this three-day party and the cost was about $100-$120 million dollars.  Meanwhile, Baluchistan and Sistan were suffering from drought and were starving. 

By late 1974, the oil book began to produce “the Great Civilization” that the Shah had promised, but rising inflation and waste and a widening gap between the right and poor were said to be “alarming.”  The next year the Rastakhiz Party was created and the whole adult population was required to belong to it.  It celebrated the Iranian monarchy. 

In 1976, the Shah’s government changed the first year of the Iranian solar calendar from the Islamic hijri to the ascension to the throne by Cyrus the Great.  This angered Iranian Muslims and the Iran year jumped overnight from the Muslim year 1355 to the royalist year 2535.  This year the Shah also declared economic austerity measures to dampen inflation and waste.  This resulted in unemployment and affected thousands of poor and unskilled migrants.  These people went on to form the core of the revolution’s demonstrators. 

In 1977, Jimmy carter became the American President.  He created the office of Human Rights to send the Shah a reminder of the importance of political rights and freedom.  The Shah responded by granting amnesty to 357 political prisoners in February, allowed the Red Cross to visit prisoners, and began the “trend of liberalization by the Shah.”  That year also saw the death of the influential Islamic leader Ali Shariati, allegedly at the hands of SAVAK, removing rivalry to Khomeini. 

In 1978, there was an outbreak of revolution.  The first major demonstration against the Shah lead by Islamic groups came in January.  Students and religious leaders in Qom demonstrated against a libelous story attacking Khomeini.  The army was sent in and sever student were killed (two according to the government, 70 according to the opposition).  Shi’ite custom says that 4 days after a person’s death, a memorial can be held.  So, on February 18, groups marched in honor of the fallen and protest against the rule of the Shah.  This time violence erupted in Tabriz and over a hundred demonstrators were killed.  On March 29, memorial was held for those who died on February 18, and many were killed.  And on May 10, the same had occurred. 

In May, government commandos entered the home of Ayatollah Kazem Shariatmadari and killed one of his followers right in front of him.  He then joined the opposition of the Shah.  The Shah tried to appease protestors by dampening inflation, making appeals to moderate clergy, and firing his head of SAVAK and promising free election in June.  However, these cutbacks led to layoffs and these workers joined the street protests in massive numbers. 

Facing a revolution, the Shah appealed to the United States for support.  Iran was important to America, but the Pahlavi regime also recently garnered unfavorable publicity in the West for its human rights record.  The United States said that they backed the Shah, but President Carter failed at following up on it.  In 1979, the Shah fled Iran and the Revolution “ended” in some opinions.