The concept of an "Islamic government" was deliberately left undefined. This vagueness allowed various anti-Shah groups—from secular liberals to Marxists—to project their own hopes onto the revolution, creating a broad but fragile coalition. The lack of detail was a feature, not a bug.
The Shah believed the US was masterminding events in Iran, a comforting illusion that someone was in control. The reality—that the US government was paralyzed by indecision and had no plan—was far more terrifying. This realization shattered his confidence and sealed his fate.
The US response to the Iranian crisis was crippled by a fierce turf war between the dovish Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and the hawkish National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. This infighting prevented a coherent strategy, leading to fatal indecision at a critical moment.
While appearing as a traditionalist, Khomeini's core concept, the "Guardianship of the Jurist," was a profound theological revolution. It proposed for the first time that clerics should directly rule the state, breaking with centuries of Shiite political quietism. This innovation provided the ideological basis for the new republic.
Kicked out of Iraq, Khomeini landed in Paris. This unexpected move gave him unprecedented access to the world's press, turning him into an international figure and allowing him to broadcast his revolutionary message globally, which was crucial for his success.
The Shah was seen as a repressive autocrat, yet he was indecisive when confronted with mass protests, partly due to his illness. This politically toxic combination alienated the people through repression while emboldening them through weakness, creating the perfect conditions for his downfall.
Prominent Western left-wing intellectuals were initially supportive of Ayatollah Khomeini. They were drawn to his anti-imperialist rhetoric about "the disinherited of the earth," mistakenly projecting their own ideals onto him and predicting he would usher in a "humane" form of governance.
Facing a national crisis over gas prices, President Carter diagnosed a "spiritual malaise" and denounced consumerism. Instead of offering concrete solutions, he lectured the American public on their moral failings. This approach was perceived as weird and out of touch, cementing his image as an ineffective leader.
The shutdown of Iranian oil fields caused global prices to surge, leading to gas lines and high inflation in the US. This economic pain, more than the foreign policy failure itself, crippled Jimmy Carter's presidency by translating a distant revolution into a tangible, politically toxic domestic issue.