Iranian Revolution

The Iranian Revolution (Persian: انقلاب ایران‎, translit. Enqelāb-e Iran; also known as the Islamic Revolution or the 1979 Revolution) refers to events involving the overthrow of the Persian monarchy under Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and eventual replacement with an Islamic Republic under the Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution.

Mohammad Beheshti in the Tehran Ashura demonstration, 11 December 1978

Quotes

• Animosity toward the shah and the intensification of Iranian nationalism, aroused by the perception of the shah’s regime as an instrument of foreign imperialism and moral corruption, united otherwise incompatible groups into a powerful revolutionary alliance. In the course of one year, 1978, the monarchy was swept away. Among the contending revolutionary forces, religious leaders possessed a greater cultural affinity with Iran’s masses and better access to extensive social networks for mobilizing large numbers of people than any other component of the anti-shah coalition. The result was a startling innovation in the history of world governments—the creation of the Islamic Republic.
  • James DeFronzo, Revolutions and Revolutionary Movements (2018), p. 247
• Global arrogance, is not satisfied with the Islamic Revolution's success because it is quite aware of the fact that our victory would result in the globalization of Islam.
  • Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Speaker: Global arrogance fears Islam, Press TV (30 June 2007).

• I admit that I called it wrong really from the beginning and in the direction that it went. The direction that it went -- this rather harsh and brutal and intolerant direction that it went -- certainly surprised me. I didn't expect it. Nor did I expect that we and the Iranians would remain estranged for as long as we have.
  • John Limbert, as quoted in [1]