Iranian Revolution

Introduction & Top Questions
Prelude to revolution
Revolution
Aftermath
The Islamic republic

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

A blindfolded man with his hands bound is escorted by four men outside the U.S. Embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis, with onlookers in the background.

Related Questions

How did Iran’s armed forces help end the shah’s regime on February 11, 1979?
How did Khomeini organize opposition to the shah from Iraq and France?
How did Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s autocratic rule contribute to the Iranian Revolution?
How did SAVAK suppress political opposition in Iran?
How did Shiʿi 40-day mourning ceremonies help protests spread across Iran?
How did Shiʿi Islam unite different groups during the Iranian Revolution?
How did economic inflation and stagnant buying power increase unrest in Iran during the 1970s?
How did foreign involvement in Iran’s politics contribute to the Iranian Revolution?
How did government corruption damage support for the Pahlavi monarchy?
How did secular intellectuals and Shiʿi clerics become allies against the shah?
How did the 1953 coup in Iran influence later opposition to Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi?
How did the Family Protection Act change after the Iranian Revolution?
How did the Iranian Revolution end the Pahlavi dynasty?
How did the National Front participate in opposition to the shah?
How did the U.S. embassy hostage crisis strengthen Khomeini’s supporters?
How did the White Revolution change Iranian society?
How did the decline of agricultural productivity contribute to discontent in Iran?
How did the shah respond to the growing protests in 1978?
How did the shah’s ties with Israel fuel dissident rhetoric in Iran?
How did unequal distribution of oil wealth affect opposition to Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi?
How large were the demonstrations in Tehran in December 1978?
How was the Islamic republic established in Iran after the revolution?
What did the slogan “Allāhu akbar” mean during the Iranian Revolution?
What happened when troops opened fire on demonstrators in Tehran on September 8, 1978?
What role did the CIA and MI6 play in the 1953 coup against Mohammad Mosaddegh?
What were komītehs and how did they enforce Islamic rules after the revolution?
What were the main causes of the Iranian Revolution of 1978–79?
Why did Iranian protesters seize the U.S. embassy in Tehran in November 1979?
Why did Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalize Iran’s oil industry in 1951?
Why did Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi leave Iran in January 1979?
Why did killings of protesters lead to further demonstrations in Iran?
Why did landowners and Shiʿi clerics oppose parts of the White Revolution?
Why did many Iranians criticize the shah’s close relationship with the United States?
Why did many Western-educated Iranians leave the country after the revolution?
Why did martyrdom have an important role in the protests of 1978?
Why did rapid modernization create social tensions in Iran before the Iranian Revolution?
Why did rapid urbanization create difficulties for many rural migrants in Iran?
Why did the April 1979 referendum support declaring Iran an Islamic republic?
Why did the Iranian government impose martial law on September 8, 1978?
Why did unemployed young people who had moved from rural areas join the 1978 protests?
Why was Khomeini’s return to Iran on February 1, 1979 important?
Why was the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps formed in 1979?
Why was the Regency Council unable to govern Iran after the shah left?
Why was the Tūdeh Party marginalized and outlawed under the shah?
Why were Khomeini’s recorded speeches smuggled into Iran during the 1970s?

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External Websites

World History Encyclopedia - Iranian Revolution
Al Jazeera - Iran 1979: the Islamic revolution that shook the world
Pressbooks on Buffscreate - Revolutions: Theorists, Theory and Practice - The Iranian Revolutions
Brookings - The Iranian revolution and its legacy of terrorism
Middle East Institute - The Iranian Revolution of February 1979

Iranian Revolution

Iranian history [1978–1979]

Also known as: Enqelāb-e Eslāmī, Islamic Revolution

Written by

Janet Afary

Professor of Feminist Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara. Author of The Iranian Constitutional Revolution.

Janet Afary

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 9, 2026 •History

Iranian Revolution, popular uprising in Iran in 1978–79 that resulted in the toppling of the monarchy on February 11, 1979, and led to the establishment of an Islamic republic. It involved the participation of a wide range of Iranians—from the secular left to the religious right—who sought an end to the shah’s autocracy and Western interference in the country’s policies. The revolution found expression in the form of Shiʿi Islam, which many supporters considered to...

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