In this case, not exactly. It took a lot of combined effort, over many years, from the militant mullahs and the Left together to depose Reza Shah, pressing him so hard that his crackdowns turned what had been a rather open regime into repression, secret police (Savak) and all. Followed by the power play which Khomeini's mullahs won, to the Left's surprise.
But as has been noted many times, the majority of the country has no memory of the Shah, only of the mullahcracy and they're chafing under that. I see these rants and raves as a sign that the mullahs' power is slipping away, they know it, and they are helpless to prevent it.
I agree. Here's a good article at the Economist online. "Iran in Turmoil"