<P> The armed rebels attacked a weapons factory, capturing nearly 50,000 machine guns and distributing them to civilians who joined in the fighting . The rebels began storming police stations and military bases throughout Tehran . The city's martial law commander General Mehdi Rahimi decided not to use his 30,000 loyal Immortal Guards to crush the rebellion for fear of producing civilian casualties . </P> <P> The final collapse of the provisional non-Islamist government came at 2 pm 11 February when the Supreme Military Council declared itself "neutral in the current political disputes...in order to prevent further disorder and bloodshed ." All military personnel were ordered back to their bases, effectively yielding control of the entire country to Khomeini . Revolutionaries took over government buildings, TV and radio stations, and palaces of the Pahlavi dynasty, marking the end of the monarchy in Iran . Bakhtiar escaped the palace under a hail of bullets, fleeing Iran in disguise . He was later assassinated by an agent of the Islamic Republic in 1991 in Paris . </P> <P> This period, from 1 to 11 February, is celebrated every year in Iran as the "Decade of Fajr ." 11 February is "Islamic Revolution's Victory Day", a national holiday with state sponsored demonstrations in every city . </P> <P> The Iranian Revolution was a gendered revolution; much of the new regime's rhetoric was centered on the position of women in Iranian society . Beyond rhetoric, thousands of women were also heavily mobilized in the revolution itself, and different groups of women actively participated alongside their male counterparts . Not only participating through voting, women contributed to the revolution through marches, demonstrations and chanting slogans . The revolution was non-violent in nature which facilitated women's involvement within it . For example, women were involved in caring for the wounded, female doctors responding to calls for help and opening their homes for those who needed assistance . While women themselves were often killed, tortured, arrested or injured and some were involved in guerilla activities, most contributed in non-violent ways . Many women were instrumental not only in being involved in the revolution themselves but in mobilizing men and other non-political women . Many women protested while carrying children and their presence was one of the main reasons for disarming soldiers (who were there on behalf of the regime) who were ordered to shoot if necessary . </P>

Why was the shah of iran removed from power