He gradually increased his power and had himself initially appointed as Minister of War" and, four years later, by a delicate manipulation of power, had himself elected by the Majlis (parliament) as monarch and founder of the Pahlavi dynasty.
This coup, toppling the Qajar dynasty, had been orchestrated by British representatives in Iran who wished to consolidate their position in the country in the face of the threat from the Bolsheviks, just across Iran’s northern border, and the growing importance of Iranian oil.
Their choice of Reza Khan as leader was based on their opinion of him as a simple soldier, entirely lacking in political ambitions of his own.
During his sixteen years of absolute rule , Reza Shah took major steps to centralize power , to achieve a degree of westernization and modernization. Reza Shah also attempted to revive the ancient and pre-Islamic heritage of Iran , thus creating a sense of nationhood and national pride among Iranians, extending far beyond the Islamic history of Iran.
The new shah and his supporters began a programme of sometimes brutal state-building, based on a new secular nationalism with an anti-clerical bent. At the same time, the shah became increasingly authoritarian and, by the early 1930s, Iran was a police state.
After the downfall of Reza Shah’s monarchy in 1941, his son Muhammad Reza Shah became the next monarch of Iran who ruled from 1941-1979. He continued his father’s reforms regarding modernization and the reasons behind these modern developments were the influence of the west.
Criticism of Pahlavi dynasty rule continued to grow in the 1970s and the Shah’s secret police would meet any criticism with arrest and torture.
Mohammad Reza Shah is known as the last ruler of Pahlavi Empire. In the early year of his reign he had to face many problems under the Premiership of Mr. Mossadegh. But he restored his image with the help of America and came back to Iran and Mr. Mossadegh was arrested.
In 1978 discontent turned to protests. In January 1979, as the revolutionary movement swelled, the shah fled, the Pahlavi myth of Persian kingship and the dynasty itself vanishing into history. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini return was prompted by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s decision to flee Iran on 16 January 1979, in response to popular unrest on the streets and demands by protesters that he step down. Khomeini’s return was regarded as a sign of the success of the revolution, of which he later became the leader.
Pahlavi Dynasty of Iran
