Lessons from the 1979 Iranian Revolution

Forty-seven years ago this month, more than 98 percent of Iranian voters opted for a government based on a strict interpretation of Shiite Islam. Not every Westerner regarded this as negatively in real time as they do in retrospect.

Carter administration officials, communists, Mother Jones, and Michel Foucault all deluded themselves into believing that Ayatollah Khomeini led the transformation of Iran into a freer, democratic, and more pluralistic society. This “Class of ’79” stands as a cautionary tale for anyone in 2026 hubristic enough to project a political delusion upon the Iranians looking to overthrow the government today.

About the Author

Daniel J. Flynn

Daniel J. Flynn, the author of The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer, is an American Spectator senior editor, visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, and YouTuber @RightWingWilderness.

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Forty-seven years ago this month, more than 98 percent of Iranian voters opted for a government based on a strict interpretation of Shiite Islam. Not every Westerner regarded this as negatively in real time as they do in retrospect.

Carter administration officials, communists, Mother Jones, and Michel Foucault all deluded themselves into believing that Ayatollah Khomeini led the transformation of Iran into a freer, democratic, and more pluralistic society. This “Class of ’79” stands as a cautionary tale for anyone in 2026 hubristic enough to project a political delusion upon the Iranians looking to overthrow the government today.