00:00 The Fall of the Shah of Shahs was not an inevitable event, but rather a result of a series of mistakes made by the Shah.

04:53 The Shah of Iran's downfall was partly due to his wife, the Empress, being more popular and seen as more left-leaning and tolerant, while he was viewed as an austere dictator, and his decision to move towards a more autocratic and dictatorial rule, as well as his misguided attempts to emulate other countries' political systems, such as China's one-party state.

08:58 The Shah of Iran starts the process of liberalization in 1976, but at the wrong time, as the country is facing economic and political crises, and he hopes that Carter's visit to Tehran in 1977 is an endorsement of his leadership, while Khomeini articulates an alternative vision of government in his lectures on Islamic Government.

13:11 The modernization and westernization of Iran under the Shah's rule led to resentment among the working class and middle class, with concerns about competition for jobs and the influx of Americans to service military equipment, while Khomeini's appeal to intellectuals and the working class was due to his radical mix of Islamic Marxism.

17:32 Khomeini's appeal to the educated engineers and scientists in Iran was due to his offering of clarity and a solution to the crisis they were facing, even though he later revealed his true intentions of establishing an Islamic government.

21:48 The Shah of Iran's control began to crumble in August and September, with the British ambassador in Tehran realizing that something was wrong and people in the streets shouting "death to the Shah," leading to a series of wrong decisions and events, including the Jaleh Square massacre and the Shah's inability to handle the situation, ultimately resulting in protests and violence in December.

25:45 The Shah's decision to leave the country in January 1979 marked a political meltdown, and when Khomeini returned in February, there was a sense of relief and hope among the people, although he still had to fight to consolidate his position.

30:27 Khomeini quickly sets up a provisional government and revolutionary committees to enforce his vision of an Islamic Republic, leading to chaos, summary executions, and revenge.

34:17 The Iranian revolutionaries set up their own Islamic army, known as the Revolutionary Guards, to protect the revolution, while the Shah, who is sick with cancer, is ping-ponging around the world and losing support from his former allies, particularly the Americans.

38:23 The Iranian revolutionaries take American hostages and the failed attempt to rescue them under President Carter's administration leads to a strained relationship between the US and Iran.

42:34 The Iranian revolution was significant because it changed the geopolitics of the Middle East and removed a Western ally from the region.

46:54 The Islamic Republic of Iran has lasted as long as it has because no viable alternative has emerged, and it has essentially run down the powerful state it inherited from the Pahlavi's without reinvesting in it.