DBWI: AHC Remove the Shah

So we all know that the Shah of Iran was one of the only Middle Eastern leaders to survive the Arab uprisings of 2009-2010 (Saudi Arabia was in a very bad situation for a while). In OTL he gave concessions, modernised, redistributed oil income and cut military expenditure, even without this Iran was pretty stable anyway. What sort of POD will get rid of him? Maybe Russia and the United States don't step in to stop the war with Mohammed Zahir Shah in the early noughties?
 
So we all know that the Shah of Iran was one of the only Middle Eastern leaders to survive the Arab uprisings of 2009-2010 (Saudi Arabia was in a very bad situation for a while). In OTL he gave concessions, modernised, redistributed oil income and cut military expenditure, even without this Iran was pretty stable anyway. What sort of POD will get rid of him? Maybe Russia and the United States don't step in to stop the war with Mohammed Zahir Shah in the early noughties?

it would be the same as asking AHC: Remove Queen Victoria in 1848. Unlike other countries, Iran was more moderate, and had somewhat of a parliament, like the one in England, after the failed attempt in 1980.
 
it would be the same as asking AHC: Remove Queen Victoria in 1848. Unlike other countries, Iran was more moderate, and had somewhat of a parliament, like the one in England, after the failed attempt in 1980.

How then could we whip up religious zeal and revolutionary fervor in late-1970s Iran?
 
How then could we whip up religious zeal and revolutionary fervor in late-1970s Iran?


One potential source area could have been somewhere the Shah's efficient SAVAK security service didn't have influence, somewhere abroad perhaps.

Maybe if, say, French junta number 12 or so hadn't done yet another "security" sweep of the Arab quarters, an Islamic intellectual of sufficient fervor could have emerged. Or not.


Edit: Ha, yeah, a civilian-ruled France serving as a harbor for various radicals to gather and talk shop, all right, I know, that's another POD altogether. ;)
 
We all know France was a mess after Algeria and was a big source of Islamic jihad for a while in the 70s, 80s but I'm not sure thats enough to get rid of the shah.

How about socialism playing a role in overthrowing the shah? OK so the US, NATO & France would go nuclear if the Soviet Union was seen to be directly involved but perhaps during the 'White revolution' in Iran during the 60s, 70s when there was much industrialisation the Shah doesn't take a step back from nationalising and shutting down the market places and much of traditional society as he tried to do. This results in a socialist radicalisation of the lower and middle classes. Idk but I think thats a better POD (point of difference) than a unstable France and western europe.
 
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