Iranian Revolution
1979 Tehran upheaval
The Iranian Revolution was the 1979 overthrow of Iran's Western-backed monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, replaced by an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The revolution transformed Iran from a secular ally of the United States into a theocratic state governed by Shia clerical authority.
It reshaped Middle Eastern politics and remains central to understanding modern Iran: policies dating back to the Iranian Revolution, tensions rooted in the Iranian Revolution.
A calendar year
- ShahPersian word for king
- TehranIran's capital city
- hostage crisisProlonged captive situation
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
Ayatollah Khomeini · Carter · oil crisis · OPEC · sanctions · exile · Paris · referendum
Senior Shia clerical title
- clericsOrdained religious officials
- mullahsIslamic religious authorities
- Shia IslamMuslim denomination following Ali
- seminariesInstitutions training clergy
Islamization · Sharia · fatwas · martyrdom · Ashura · mosques · Friday prayers · religious authority
Rule by religious authority
- Supreme LeaderHighest political-religious authority
- autocracyRule by one
- monarchyRule by crowned sovereign
- republicanismGovernment by elected officials
constitution · referendum · nationalization · anti-imperialism · sovereignty · legitimacy · Islamism · populism
Public expression of disapproval
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
- mass mobilizationWidespread organized public activation
- strikesRefusals to work collectively
- oil workersPetroleum extraction laborers
bazaar · boycott · martial law · Black Friday · cassette tapes · leaflets · slogans · curfew
Concealing with covering
- hijabMuslim woman's headscarf
- chadorFull-body outer cloak
- censorshipOfficial content restriction
- WesternizationAdopting Western cultural practices
secularism · modernity · tradition · women's rights · morality police · education reform · universities · dress code
1979
A calendar year
- ShahPersian word for king
- TehranIran's capital city
- hostage crisisProlonged captive situation
Ayatollah Khomeini · Cold War · Carter · oil crisis · OPEC · sanctions · exile · Paris · referendum · Constitution
Ayatollah
Senior Shia clerical title
- clericsOrdained religious officials
- mullahsIslamic religious authorities
- Shia IslamMuslim denomination following Ali
seminaries · Islamization · Sharia · fatwas · martyrdom · Ashura · mosques · Friday prayers · religious authority · piety
theocracy
Rule by religious authority
- Supreme LeaderHighest political-religious authority
- autocracyRule by one
- monarchyRule by crowned sovereign
republicanism · constitution · referendum · nationalization · anti-imperialism · sovereignty · legitimacy · Islamism · populism · authoritarianism
protest
Public expression of disapproval
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
- mass mobilizationWidespread organized public activation
- strikesRefusals to work collectively
oil workers · bazaar · boycott · martial law · Black Friday · cassette tapes · leaflets · slogans · curfew · defiance
veiling
Concealing with covering
- hijabMuslim woman's headscarf
- chadorFull-body outer cloak
- censorshipOfficial content restriction
Westernization · secularism · modernity · tradition · women's rights · morality police · education reform · universities · dress code · gender segregation
Iranian Revolutionmilitary coup
Armed seizure of government
palace coup · Velvet Revolution · counterrevolution · bloodless coup · restoration
Iranian Revolutionsecularization
Religion losing social significance
Westernization · French Revolution · modernization · communist revolution · Quiet Revolution
Iranian Revolutionancien régime
Replaced system of governance
political reform · gradualism · status quo · political stability · constitutional monarchy
revolution, revolutionary, Persian, revolutionize, revolutionaries, revolutionized, revolutionizing, Iranian, Iranians