The Revolution

Throughout 1978, mass protests against the Shah grew, drawing students, workers, bazaar merchants, religious authorities, and secular liberals. The Shah's response (sometimes violent crackdowns, sometimes attempts at concession) deepened the crisis. The death of Khomeini's son under suspicious circumstances and a fire at a Tehran cinema (blamed by protesters on SAVAK) galvanized opposition.

On January 16, 1979, the Shah left Iran. On February 1, Khomeini returned from his Paris exile to a delirious welcome by millions in Tehran. Within weeks the monarchy was replaced by the Islamic Republic of Iran, approved by referendum in March 1979 and formalized by a new constitution in December 1979.