History & Society

Iranian Revolution

[1978–1979]
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Also known as: Enqelāb-e Eslāmī, Islamic Revolution
Ruhollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini
Date:
January 1978 - April 1, 1979
Location:
Iran
Key People:
Ruhollah Khomeini Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi

Iranian Revolution, also called Islamic Revolution, Persian Enqelāb-e Eslāmī, 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. The 1979 revolution, which brought together Iranians across many different social groups, has its roots in Iran’s long history. These groups, which included clergy, landowners, intellectuals, and merchants, had previously come together in the Constitutional Revolution of 1905–11. Efforts toward satisfactory reform were continually stifled, however, amid reemerging social tensions as well as foreign intervention from Russia, the United Kingdom, and, later, the United ...(100 of 1432 words)