If we are going to talk of Iran and democracy and the great words of lincoln, lets go to the root of the all the problems of Iran.
What Lincoln is saying here applies to ISLAM, its god, the creator or Koran (Muhamad), Ali, Hassan, Hussien, Kashani, Khominie, Khamanie, and of the leaders of the Muslim world. The entire Koran is words of dictatorship that dictates strict laws and over-the-top punishments. In 1979, what did we expect from a population that worshipped and lived by the dictatorial laws of Koran, Muhamad and Alllah?
At the sametime, you can say Shah and Mossadegh were both pressured heavily by the Islamic akhoonds to let them rule the country and willing to go to any measure to get that power.
During the Shah's time, there were many within the military, Savak, and other organs surrounding Shah being paid agent for CIA and the English secret service.
It was no picnic for Shah to rule the country. Shah's biggest mistake was seeing the nationalist and intellectuals as a threat rather than others. I believe if he had formed a friendship and mended the problems with the nationalists, that union would have ended in democracy and they would have never stabbed him in the back like the akhoonds and those around him.