📅 12 October 1971
The Shah hosted foreign rulers at lavish ceremonies marking 2,500 years of monarchy while many Iranians faced poverty and political repression.
📅 16 January 1979
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi departed Iran amid nationwide strikes and demonstrations, ending his effective rule even before the monarchy was formally abolished.
📅 16 January 1979
Millions interpreted the departure as a victory over dictatorship, foreign dependency and the political order created after the 1953 coup.
📅 16 January 1979
Shapour Bakhtiar tried to preserve a constitutional monarchy, but most revolutionary forces rejected a government still appointed by the Shah.
📅 16 January 1979
Military and state institutions lost cohesion as popular committees, strikes and revolutionary leadership gained practical power.
