Families welcome prisoners held under the Shah

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi departed Iran amid nationwide strikes and demonstrations, ending his effective rule even before the monarchy was formally abolished.

Millions interpreted the departure as a victory over dictatorship, foreign dependency and the political order created after the 1953 coup.

Shapour Bakhtiar tried to preserve a constitutional monarchy, but most revolutionary forces rejected a government still appointed by the Shah.

Military and state institutions lost cohesion as popular committees, strikes and revolutionary leadership gained practical power.

Prison doors opened for activists from Islamist, Marxist and other opposition currents as the royal security system disintegrated.

Former prisoners entered a rapidly changing public arena in which diverse revolutionary organizations competed over Iran's future.

The return of well-known prisoners reminded the public of SAVAK, military trials and the suppression of organized opposition.

After more than fourteen years in exile, Khomeini landed at Mehrabad Airport and was welcomed by immense crowds.

The public reception demonstrated the scale of revolutionary mobilization and Khomeini's central symbolic authority.

At the graves of those killed in the struggle, he honored the martyrs and rejected the legitimacy of the Bakhtiar government.