The discourse of the confrontation between Mohammad Reza Shah and Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran in 1978–1979

Abstract

The Islamic Revolution in Iran is considered one of the most important political events of the second half of the 20th century. It was quite unexpected, since the Shah’s regime seemed very stable and economically successful. The revolution was led by the conservative Shiite clergy led by Khomeini. The confrontation between the Shah’s regime and the movement of Ayatollah Khomeini began in the early 1960s, and in 1978–1979 entered the most violent phase, which was accompanied by conflict discourse on both sides. Khomeini took an irreconcilable position towards the Shah and criticized his every action, calling him a criminal and a fighter against Islam. The Shah, in turn, tried to strengthen his legitimacy among Iranian believers and said that he was providing patronage to Islam. However, the majority of Iranian Muslims actively supported Khomeini, who had much greater authority and popularity. As a result of the confrontation, the Shah could not stand the tension and left the country, and power passed to Khomeini. After his expulsion, the Shah, in an interview with American media, claimed to be the one who truly cared about his country, while Khomeini wants to erase its history and is not going to develop Iran.