The Iranian Revolution, as many before it, underscored the peril of the governing defying the wishes of the governed. The Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, came to power with the help of the Soviets and British following WW II. He began a rapid program of modernization – nationalizing the oil, extending suffrage to women and Westernizing the economy. The reforms earned him the ire of many Iranians, most notably Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The religious leader was just rising to power, criticizing the Shah for his beholding to the West, when he was unceremoniously exiled. Tens of thousands of his followers took to the streets to protest the next day.

On this day, February 11, in 1979, ten days after his return, armed Ayatollah loyalists overran the Iranian capital and seized power. Their only significant resistance came from the Shah’s guard; the people had already backed Khomeini.

There were plenty of warning signs the pro-Western Shah of Iran was deeply unpopular with his own people. Protests began as early as 1977, and continued growing despite ruthless crackdowns by the Shah. But absent a precipitating event like war or an economic crisis, Western analysts fully believed the Shah could hold power for decades longer.