How did Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini come to power?

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Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power after the Iranian Revolution (1978–79). He had won a following for his avid criticism of ineffective governance in Iran and his advocacy for Islamic ethics in government, which offered a common cause for Iranians of various backgrounds disenfranchised by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s aggressive modernization program.