Supporters interpret the speech as a sign of weakness

Banks, government-linked businesses and other targets were attacked amid the breakdown of reconciliation.

The violence and unrest made the prime minister's policy of conciliation politically untenable.

He acknowledged the revolutionary movement and promised to correct abuses and past mistakes.

The admission revealed how far popular mobilization had shifted the balance of political legitimacy.

The speech offered change without accepting the central opposition demand that the Shah leave power.

The Shah replaced the reconciliation government with a military-led cabinet.

Authorities attempted to restore order through arrests, censorship, curfews and troop deployments.

His resignation marked the failure of limited concessions to divide or demobilize the opposition.

Supporters viewed the appointment as confirmation that royal power rested on coercion rather than popular consent.

Enormous peaceful processions in Tehran and other cities displayed national unity against the monarchy.