Abstract
The Islamic Revolution of 1978 is one of the most important events in contemporary Iranian history that led to extensive political, social, and cultural changes. In the final years of the Pahlavi regime, security and military institutions, including the Imperial Guard, played a key role in suppressing the popular uprising and supporting the government. Accordingly, the present study seeks to analyze the performance of the Imperial Guard using a historical method and using archival documents, memoirs, and interviews, and to examine different angles of this issue using a descriptive-analytical method. This article seeks to answer the question of what role the Imperial Guard, as one of the security pillars of the Pahlavi regime, played in the confrontation with the Islamic Revolution, and what factors led to its collapse and eventual end? The findings of this study show that the Imperial Guard, despite having trained forces and advanced equipment, did not play a leading role in suppressing the protests that led to the Islamic Revolution of 1978. This organization mainly provided intelligence and logistical support to the security forces. In the final days of the revolution, the Guard's performance was mostly a show, and with the Shah's departure from Iran, their morale was weakened to the point where they adopted a neutral stance in the final days of the revolution. After the victory of the revolution, this organization was disbanded, and many of its commanders were tried, executed, or fled the country, and the rest were integrated into the 21st Hamza Division of the army.