Social movements are large-scale, organized efforts, on the part of uninstitutionalized groups, who encounter opposition in a moral struggle, and rely primarily on persuasion to promote or resist changes in societal norms and values. “A revolutionary movement, one of the types of social movements, involves reform-oriented and revolutionary-oriented elements. Efforts to place a social movement along a reform-to-revolution continuum depend on time, perceptions, and elements ascendant within the movement” (PSM 15). The reason I chose to write about this particular revolutionary movement, the Iranian Revolution of 1979, is because I am of Iranian descent, and without this social movement, I would not be living in the United States, attending the University of Washington or have the opportunity to write this paper. This social movement consists of the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (Shah), which led to his replacement, the leader of the revolution, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (Khomeini). Although it may have seemed successful when it occurred, the Iranian revolution of 1979 led to negative outcomes that still haunt the country’s citizens today. The revolution resulted in: government corruption, violence and unfair treatment, and a loss of the citizen’s freedoms and independence. Beginning in 1977, there were demonstrations against the Shah, which developed into a civil campaign based on religion that began to intensify. In 1979, after continued civil unrest, the popular opposition forced the Shah to flee the country. After his flee, the country agreed on a referendum that made Khomeini the supreme leader of the country. Khomeini declared the country as strictly an Islamic Republic; an Islamic constitution was created, giving authority of any matter to unelected religious leaders. This new corrupt style of government was unfamiliar to Iran and caused drastic change to the country’s dynamics. First, the government, under Khomeini, became corrupt and controlling. They took advantage of oil profits and kept the money for themselves, instead of allocating it to help the country’s needs. Secondly, violence and unfair treatment heavily increased, as the government beat and jailed those who were opposed of the Islamic Religion. Third, the citizen’s lost their sense of progression and innovativeness, as the government set strict laws on freedom of dress code, education, and overall culture. As the social construct of reality states: through language, social movements transform perceptions of social reality, alter self-perceptions of members, legitimize the movement, prescribe courses of action, and sustain the movement. Khomeini reached out to the citizens of Iran by preaching that revolt against tyranny was crucial, and that Muslims should reject the influence of liberal capitalism, and communism” (Szczepanksi). His m