The Iranian Revolution of 1978–1979 was a mass political upheaval that overthrew the monarchy of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic under Ruhollah Khomeini. It reshaped Iran’s political system, ending 2,500 years of dynastic rule and transforming the country into a theocratic state with global geopolitical impact.
Iran’s rapid modernization under the Shah’s “White Revolution,” coupled with political repression and stark inequality, provoked resentment across society. Religious leaders, secular intellectuals, students, merchants, and workers coalesced in opposition. Economic strain in the 1970s, human-rights abuses by the secret police SAVAK, and anger over Western—particularly U.S.—influence intensified popular unrest.
Protests began in early 1978 and swelled nationwide following the “Black Friday” massacre that September. Strikes by oil workers crippled the economy. Exiled in France, Khomeini coordinated opposition through smuggled recordings and communiqués. The Shah fled Iran in January 1979; Khomeini returned to a triumphant welcome on February 1. Ten days later, Iran’s military declared neutrality, collapsing the monarchy.
A March 1979 referendum, offering only one choice, ratified the new “Islamic Republic.” A theocratic constitution adopted later that year vested ultimate authority in the supreme leader, a position first held by Khomeini. Revolutionary courts purged remnants of the old regime, while institutions such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were created to safeguard clerical control.
The revolution inspired Islamist movements and upended U.S.–Iran relations, culminating in the 1979–81 hostage crisis at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. It also precipitated regional realignments and the protracted Iran–Iraq War. Decades later, its legacy endures in Iran’s governance, ideology, and confrontation with Western powers.