The 1979 Iranian Revolution — how the Shah fell, Khomeini rose, and the modern Middle East was reshaped. Holland and Sandbrook examine how a modernizing autocrat was overthrown by a theocratic revolution nobody predicted.
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Highlights
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Rapid modernization imposed from above creates a backlash from below
The Shah modernized Iran at breakneck speed — secularization, land reform, women's rights — but the speed alienated traditional society and created a coalition of religious and secular opponents.
Revolutions are made by coalitions that immediately fracture after victory
The revolution united liberals, socialists, communists, and Islamists against the Shah. Within months of victory, Khomeini systematically eliminated every non-Islamist faction.