Guachito t1_j1mds6f wrote on December 25, 2022 at 4:16 PM

Reply to comment by jon_stout in What did the public actually want in the Iranian revolution of 1979? by ReecoElryk

They weren’t fighting for democracy or any specific ideology, they just wanted a change of government because the Shah was did not have their best interest in mind and wasn’t doing a great job.

doktorhladnjak t1_j1n5oim wrote on December 25, 2022 at 7:57 PM

I wouldn’t describe it that way. There were many factions fighting for democracy or ideologies. They only agreed with each other on getting rid of the Shah. So they were united in overthrowing the current regime.

Once that happened, there was another power struggle for who would control the new government. The religious hardliners won that struggle by consolidating power and eliminating opposition from the secular moderates.