Image 2The
Iranian revolution (
Persian:
انقلاب ایران,
Enqelâb-e Irân [ʔeɴɢeˌlɒːbe ʔiːɾɒːn]), also known as the
1979 revolution, or the
Islamic revolution of 1979 (
انقلاب اسلامی,
Enqelâb-e Eslâmī) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the
Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the
Imperial State of Iran by the present-day
Islamic Republic of Iran, as the monarchical government of
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was superseded by the theocratic
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a religious cleric who had headed one of the rebel factions. The ousting of Pahlavi, the last
Shah of Iran, formally marked the end of
Iran's historical monarchy.
Following the
1953 Iran coup, Pahlavi aligned Iran with the
Western Bloc and cultivated a close relationship with the US to consolidate his power as an authoritarian ruler. Relying heavily on American support amidst the
Cold War, he remained the Shah of Iran for 26 years, keeping the country from swaying towards the influence of the
Eastern Bloc and
Soviet Union. Beginning in 1963, Pahlavi implemented widespread reforms aimed at modernizing Iran through an effort that came to be known as the
White Revolution. Due to his opposition to this modernization,
Khomeini was exiled from Iran in 1964. However, as ideological tensions persisted between Pahlavi and Khomeini, anti-government demonstrations began in October 1977, developing into a campaign of civil resistance that included
communism,
socialism, and
Islamism. In August 1978, the deaths of about 400 people in the
Cinema Rex fire—claimed by the opposition as having been orchestrated by Pahlavi's
SAVAK—served as a catalyst for a popular revolutionary movement across Iran, and large-scale strikes and demonstrations paralyzed the country for the remainder of that year. (
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