The military government that the Shah half-heartedly installed in early November under General Gholam-Reza Azhari initially scored gains, an indication that the crisis was responding to a show of strength. But Azhari soon began acting as a normal prime minister and quickly lost the initial advantage. The month of Muharram loomed as a daunting challenge. Navigating through that turbulence with minimal damage came to be seen by the regime moguls as a victory in itself.