Pahlavi crown commissioned by Reza
Shah
(work in progress)
Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878-1944), was the shah (king) of Iran from 1926 to
1941 and is better known as Reza Shah. Before be became king, Reza was a
semi-literate Colonel in the Cossack Brigade, Iran’s principal military unit by
1921. In February 1921 he staged a military coup under the direction of British
occupation force in Iran. He became prime minister is 1923 and overthrew the
last Qajar king (Ahmad Shah) in 1925, naming himself the new king in 1926. He
chose Pahlavi as his last name. He named his oldest son, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi,
crown prince. Reza Shah is considered an important reformer of early twentieth
century Iran. However, his record is a mixed one. On the one hand he
successfully reformed his country to make it more modern and self-reliant. He
built railroads and factories, promoted education, reformed the legal system and
increased the role of women in society. On the
other hand, he subverted Iran’s constitution and turned the country into an
authoritarian state controlled by him. During World War II (1939-1945),
the Allies needed to use Iran as a supply route. They also suspected Reza Shah
or pro-German sympathies. When Reza Shah refused to cooperate, British and
Soviet troops invaded the country and forced him to resign. He died in exile in
South Africa and was succeeded by his oldest son.
Reza Shah and his crown prince
Mohammad Reza
Shah Pahlavi
(1919-1980),
was the shah (king) of Iran from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father,
Reza Shah Pahlavi, as king. Reza Shah had refused to cooperate with the Allies
during World War II (1939-1945), and they forced him to abdicate by occupying
Iran. Mohammad Reza Shah was overthrown in 1979 by a mass movement of Iranians
led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a Muslim religious leader. After Mohammad Reza became shah, he joined the Allies and Iran declared war on Axis powers. Iran made an important contribution to the Allies’ war effort by acting as a supply route to the Soviet Union. Between 1941 and 1953, Mohammad Reza Shah ruled as a constitutional monarch according to the Iranian constitution of 1906. Beginning in the mid-1940s, the shah’s authority was challenged by Iranian Communists and by nationalists led by Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq. In 1951, the nationalists led by Dr. Mosaddeq passed a law in parliament nationalizing British controlled Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Subsequently, the shah was forced to appoint Mosaddeq prime minister. In 1953, the shah agreed to participate in a US and UK organized military coup to topple Prime Minister Mosaddeq. When the initial stage of coup failed on August 16, 1953, the shah and his wife, Queen Sorayya, fled the country. But the Americans and the British were successful to overthrow Mosaddeq on August 19, 1953, paving the way for the shah’s return and becoming a dictatorial ruler. From 1953 until his overthrow in 1979, the shah subverted the constitution and parliament to enhance his own personal power. He also put Iran in the Western camp as the cold war flared up.
In the 1960s, the shah began a program to distribute land to some peasant farmers. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, he used part of Iran’s oil revenue to promote social and economic development. He expanded programs dealing with literacy and health care, and built many schools, airports, highways, railroads, dams, and irrigation facilities. In addition, he bought much military equipment. Economic change led to rapid migration from rural areas to cities and increased the income gap between rich and poor.
The shah’s modernizing program was accompanied by a brutal and repressive rule. As a result various groups began to oppose him for different reasons. These included groups from among students, intellectuals, industrial workers and religious leaders.
His critics accused him of denying freedom of speech and other rights and of using secret police and military force to silence opponents. They also claimed his spending policies and government corruption were ruining Iran’s economy. Many conservative Muslims said some of his policies violated teachings of the Muslim religion.
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