Iranians in general were opposed to the Shah and opposed him from nearly every political perspective. These include:
As concerns the specific reasons for the Iranian protests and the eventual revolution, they were numerous:
Wealth & Employment Issues: Most importantly was the wealth inequality between the Shah and the nobility and common Iranian citizen. There was immense poverty throughout the country and high unemployment, underemployment, low wages, and few protections for laborers.
Religious Conservatism: Most Iranians were religiously conservative (similar to the American Bible-belt as opposed to the Fundamentalists) and resisted the Shah's Westernization and Secularization movements in Iran. The Shah made clear that religion was not important to him as a ruler, whereas it was a concern among the people.
Puppet to Foreigners: The Shah was also seen as a Western puppet, especially when the CIA overthrew the Iranian President Mossadegh in 1953 to re-install the Shah of Iran and considering how Iran profited very little from its own petroleum.
Brutal Secret Police: The Shah had a notorious secret police called the SAVAK which harassed people and killed scores of others.
Authoritarianism: Iranians wanted to be in control of their own affairs. Iranians wanted some form of self-government or democracy. The Shah was an authoritarian who prevented people from expressing their own opinions.
Issue for Fundamentalists: Particularly in the fundamentalist camp, the fundamentalists in Iran felt that the Shah epitomized a Western culture of greed and materialism, because he tried to establish a more secular government. As with many rulers, he accumulated vast personal wealth. He also employed various means to suppress political dissent. It was ultimately the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini who in 1979 succeeded the Shah and established an Islamic religious government.
Note: The fact that these grievances existed does not mean that the Islamic Republic of Iran afterwards "fixed" these problems.
Answer 2
The main reason was that majority of Iranians are Shia Muslims and wanted a Islamic government of jurist and Shah was in fact an anti-Islam dictator.
government run by Islamic fundamentalist leaders
1979 with the overthrow of the shah's government.
The fundamentalists in Iran felt that the Shah epitomized a Western culture of greed and materialism, because he tried to establish a more secular government. As with many rulers, he accumulated vast personal wealth. He also employed various means to suppress political dissent. It was ultimately the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini who in 1979 succeeded the Shah and established an Islamic religious government.
The entire (with a few exceptions) Iranian Population rose up in the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Ayatollah Khomeini was able to co-opt the populist movement to take over the post-revolutionary government.
to stop the spread of communism
government run by Islamic fundamentalist leaders
westernized Iran
1979 with the overthrow of the shah's government.
They overthrew the Shah and created the Islamic Republic of Iran.There is a supposition in this question that is partially incorrect, namely that the primary or most important people to overthrow the Shah were fundamentalist Muslims. This is not the case. The Iranian people, most of them traditional or secular Muslims revolted all across Iran. The Religious Fundamentalists were a minority of those Iranians who were protesting. When the Shah abdicated, there was an intent to create a Republic that represented the Iranian People. However, between April and October of 1979 (after the Shah had already departed the country and the Islamic Republic of Iran declared) the Ayatollahs were able to consolidate power and create the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran which vested the Religious Fundamentalists with political power.
Shah of Iran
Yes it is and so is Iraq.
There is an implication in this question that is partially incorrect, namely that the primary or most important people to overthrow the Shah were fundamentalist Muslims led by Ayatollah Khomeini. This is not the case. The Iranian people, most of them traditional or secular Muslims revolted all across Iran. The Religious Fundamentalists were a minority of those Iranians who were protesting. When the Shah abdicated, there was an intent to create a Republic that represented the Iranian People. However, between April and October of 1979 (after the Shah had already departed the country and the Islamic Republic of Iran declared) Ayatollah Khomeini was able to consolidate power for himself and the other Ayatollahs and create the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran which vested the Religious Fundamentalists with political power.
Yes he did. First of all because the fundamentalistst chased him out of the country, and secondly because there had been continuous unrest and ever-larger demonstrations led by the fundamentalists against his regime during the year leading up to the Shah's overthrow.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
Reza Shah, full name Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the last king of Iran. He ruled Iran from September 1941 until his overthrow in February 1979 by the Iranian Rebellion.
The fundamentalists in Iran felt that the Shah epitomized a Western culture of greed and materialism, because he tried to establish a more secular government. As with many rulers, he accumulated vast personal wealth. He also employed various means to suppress political dissent. It was ultimately the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini who in 1979 succeeded the Shah and established an Islamic religious government.
The fundamentalist revolution