1979: The Revolution

About this episode

This episode explores the 1979 Iranian Revolution and its impact on the country's identity and global standing.

Send us Fan Mail In 1979, Iran underwent one of the 20th century’s most consequential revolutions. What began as a wave of protests against a monarchy transformed the country into an Islamic Republic that would reshape its identity and place in the world. In this episode, Saman Askari traces the arc of power, from the rise of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to the return of Ruhollah Khomeini, and unpacks the forces that fueled the uprising: rapid modernization, political repression, cultural tension, a...

People in this episode

Host: Saman Askari

Topics covered

• Iranian Revolution
• Islamic Republic
• political history
• cultural identity
• modernization
• protests

Keywords

• Iran
• 1979
• revolution
• Khomeini
• Pahlavi
• modernization
• political repression
• cultural tension

More episodes of Iran Explained

• The Latest on the Iran War with Hamidreza Azizi · April 7, 2026 · 41 min
• Thoughts on Foreign Intervention in Iran · February 12, 2026 · 9 min
• Thoughts on the Iranian Opposition · February 7, 2026 · 10 min
• Thoughts on the Current Iranian Uprising · January 15, 2026 · 7 min
• Cyrus the Great: The Man Behind the Legend · September 29, 2025 · 25 min
• A Conversation with John Ghazvinian · March 30, 2023 · 47 min