The iranian revolution of 1979.: From the first civil mobilization against the Shah’s regimen to the establishment of the islamic republic

Abstract

The Iranian revolution that took place in February 1979 was a surprise for the Western World. The political and economic stability of the country for almost four decades, had turned Iran into a bench-mark in the Middle East, and became the main strategic ally of the White House in the region. However, the accelerated modernization process implemented by the Shah’s regime failed to redistribute the wealth among the marginal sectors which came from the oil exports. Likewise, authoritarian policies, corruption, as well as repressive practices, increased social discontent that was not taken into account. Between the end of 1977 and throughout 1978, a series of events caused the end of the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran at high speed. The objectives of this paper are to present and analyze the events that occurred sequentially and that allowed the establishment of the Islamic Republic in April 1979, such as Iran-United States bilateral relations, the organization of the opposition, the reforms put into practice, the position of religious sectors and, particularly, the role played by Ayatollah Jomeni.