“I heard the voices of your revolution...as Shah of Iran as well as Iranian citizen I can not but approve of your revolution...let all of us work together to establish real democracy in Iran”

–Muhammad Reza Pehalvi, Shah of Iran in 1979

Rumblings of a revolution could be heard in the Iranian air as early as 1977, when demonstration against the Shah convoluted into a civil resistance movement. The first reaction of the Shah was to strike down the demonstration and repress dissent. However, this only sparked the conflagration. By the time of Shah’s return from self-afflicted exile in early 1979, the streets of Iran were brimming with people who wanted to end the monarchy. On 6th November, Reza Shah Pehalvi, took steps to appoint a military government. He then addressed the Iranian people and recognized the revolution. During the speech he called himself a Shah instead of the more ostensible Padshah i.e. King of Kings. This along with the willingness to instate democracy in Iran was seen by the people as a sign of weakness. Shah’s reign would come to an end in less than a month from this speech.