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The Iranian shahs or emperors ruled as absolute monarchs until the Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905-11). At that time, Iran became a constitutional monarchy. Reza Khan leading a force of Persian Cossacks seized control (1921). Reza Khan became prime ministership. Reza Khan formally deposed the royal Qajar Dynasty (1925). He then has himself crowned shah (1926) founding the Pahlavi Dynasty. He changed the name of the country to Iran, a name wgich had racist associations with the pre-historic Aryan peoples. Reza Shah had NAZI orientations. The Soviet Union and Britain occupied the country during World War II to ensure the safe passage of Lend Lease materials. The British replaced Reza Shah with his young son--Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Iran developed its oil industry after the War, generating huge income. The United States supported the Shah in the Cold War. The Shah used the oil income to begin the modernization of the country. He did not allow the development of democratic institutions. This led to growing popular resistance. The modernization program offened conservatibe Muslim elements. The Shah's secret police suppressed democratic reforners and Islamic fundamentalists alike. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi proved to be the last shah. The Islamic Revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini forced the Shah to flee the country. The Islamic Revolution abolished the monarchy and created a theocratic republic.
The Iranian shahs or emperors ruled as absolute monarchs until the Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905-11). At that time, Iran became a constitutional monarchy under the long-ruling Qajar dynasty. The Majlis (parliment) became the center of a more open political system.
When World War I breaks out in Euope (August 1914), Persia declared its neutrality, but the presence of Russian, Turkish and British troops as well as the importance of the newly discovered oil resources makes this in practice impossible. The Royal Navy signs a long-term contract with the APOC to supply fuel oil for the fleet. The British Government purchases a majority of the company's stock. Persia bordered on the Ottoman Empire which had held Mesopotamia since 1534. The Britain needed the oil for its fleet. The most modern dreadnoughts had been converted from coal furnaces to clearn burning oil. The British after the Ottomans entered the War launched an offensive and took Basra (Mesopotamia/Iraq) with its oil wells (November 1914). The British also occupied the terminus of the oil pipeline and the refineries situated on Abadan Island (Persia) in the Shatt El Arab. This was the border between Ottoman Mesopotamia and Persia. Accross the border the British and Ottomons fought over Mesopotamia. Some Persian soldiers fought with the Ottomans. A Ottoman diversionary force crossed the Tigris (April 1915) as a threat to pro-British Persia, especially the refinery at Ahvaz. The British suffered a major defeat at El Kut in Mesopotamia (Iraq). The British Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force regrouped and launched another attack. They crossed the Tigris and captured Kut-el-Amara (December 1916). The British reached Baghdad (March 1917). Turkish offensives drove toward Baku in the Caususes supported by the Germans to tghe north. The Ottomons also moved into northeaster Iran (autumn 1918). The British responded with small mobile forces (Dunsteforce expedition). Ottomon military power is broken, however by a British drive from Bagdad toward Mosul and the British Arab drive toward Jeurusalem and Damascus and then as far noth as Alepo. With the outbreak of the Bolshevick Revolution, Russia was no longer an important player in Persia. Britain attemoted to establish a kind of protectorate under the terms of the Anglo-Persian Agreement. Iranian nationalists objected. Iranian Prime Minister Vosuq od-Dowleh supported the agreement because the Majlis refused to approve it. Vosuq od-Dowleh was forced out of office. Moshir al-Doleh replaces him. The elected government was again overthrown in a British-instigated military coup.
Reza Khan was an officer in Iran's small military force--the Cossack Brigade. With this force he seized control of the constitutional government (1921). He established himself as prime minister. He proceeded to close parliment and establish himself as the most powerful leader in the country, suppressing rebellions and maintaing order. He convened a carefully chosen national Assembly (1925). The Assembly deposed Ahmad Shah, the last ruler of the long-ruling Qajar dynasty. They then named Reza Khan as the new shah, He adopted the dynastic namn Pahlavi.
Reza Khan then had himself crowned shah (1926) founding the Pahlavi Dynasty. The Persia Reza Khan seized control of was a very backward country, Reza Shah desired to modernize the country. Among the projects he envisioned were promoting heavy industry, launching infrastructure projects, constructing a railroad network spanning the country, reforming the judiciary, and introducing mordern health care. He was convinced that Persia needed a strong, centralized government managed by educated individuals. Neither democracy or Iran figured in his vision for a modern Peraian state. Both funds for these projects and Iranians with technical skills were limited. He financed the education of hundreds of Iranians (including his son Mohammad )to Europe for education. Reza Shah's development projects transformed Iran from a backward country with a virtually medieval economy and social structure to one of the most modern states in the Middle East with an industrial base and rapidly growing cities. He gave consideravle attention to developing a modern public education system in a country virtually without secular schools when he seized power. A new professional middle class and an industrial working class emerged in the cities. Despite the advances, opposition to Reza Shah grew. His dictatorial rule and refusal to tolerate democraric institututions gave rize to dissatisfaction among intelectual elites and the eising middle class. Opposition grew among the fundamentalist Islamic clergy. He changed the name of the country to Iran. The country had been called Persia for milenia. The fact that Persians are only one part of the country's ethnic mix was the reason given for the name change. The new name had racist associations with the pre-historic Aryan peoples. It was probably no accident that the nane was chosen at a time the NAZIs were promoting rascist ideas including the ancient Aryan peoples. It is not entirely clear what his attitude with the NAZIs was. It is clear that he was highly nationalistic and believed in rule by a powerful leader without cinstitutional constraints. Ans the NAZIs offered assiustance to one of his principal concerns, Russian (now Soviet) imperialism, the Soviet Union bordered on northern Iran and the British Raj on eastern Iran. The Britain also controlled the Angelo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC). Reza Khan needed foreign technical assistance for his many development projects. To limit Soviet and British influence, Reza Shah sought to obtain technical assistance from other countries (Germany, France, Italy, and other European countries). The German influence involving technical expertise and trade became especially important. When NAZI Germany launched World war II, the German connections caused considerable concern with British officials. Reza Shah declared Iran a neutral country. The British denanded that Iran expel German engineers and technicians, seeing them as dangerous agents endangering British-pwned oil facilities. Reza Shah refused, insusting that this would adversely impact his development projects, alreasy impaired by the British naval embargo on German merchant shipping. Britain was unable to act because the Soviet Union was a NAZI ally and Soviet armies were massed on the northern Iranian border.
Reza Shah's Government declared Iran neutral with the outbreak of World War II in Europe. The British suspected that the Shah was sympathetic with the NAZIs who were active diplomatically in Iran. The Iranians rejected British demands to expel Axis agents. After the NAZI invasion of the Soviet Union it became vital to open supply lines to the Soviets. The British and Soviets thus launched a coordinated invasion (August 26, 1941). The Soviets invaded from the north. The British from Iraq where they had defeated a pro-Axis rebellion and by troops landed along te Persian Gulf. There was only limitedd resistance. Reza Shah abdicated (September 16). His son ascended the throne as Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. At the time of the War, Iran had just begun to develop its petroleum indutry. It did not play an important factor in the War. Britain fought the War largely with American oil, although the 8th Army fought the War in the Western Desert largely with Iraqi oil. Iran's importance in the War was largely as a conduit for American Lend Lease shipments to the Soviets. Iran in fact became the major conduit for American Lend Lease aid to the Soviets. Given the fact that the Wehrmacht was largely destroyed on the Eastern Front by the Red Army, these supplies delivered through Iran were very important indeed.
The British replaced Reza Shah with his young son--Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (September 1941). This permitted the Allies to use Iran to tranport huge quantities of war material to the Soviet Union. With the departure of Reza Kahn, Iran's political system began to become more open. Political parties were developed. The first Majlis (parlimentary) elections elections were held (1944). These were the first genuinely democratic elections in more than 20 years. The Western Allies withdrew their troops from Iran as required under the Tripartite Treaty. The Soviets who had been supporing independence movements refused to remove their troops or provide a time table for doing so. The Soviets under international pressure finally evsacuated their troops (May 1946). Tensions continued for several months. The episode was one of the opening shots in the developing Cold War. And Mohammad Reza Shah would become a staunch Americam ally in that struggle. The British-owned Angelo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) continued to produce and market Iranian oil. Some Iranians had begun to advocate the nationalization of the AIOC. With the deoparture of the British this began to become a major politicsal issue. The young Shah wanted to continue his father's reform policies, but he was left with a more open political system than tolerated by t\his fathers. A struggle developed between the Shah and an older and more experienced politician--the fervent nationalist Mohammad Mosaddeq. The Shah had pledged to act as a constitutional monarch who would defer to the Majlis. The Shah despite this vow, however, began to involve himself in governmental affairs, often to oppose prime ministers. Historians tend to describe the young Shah as indescisive. He focused his efforts on strengthening the Army and to make sure it remained under royal control. This would be the monarchy's main power base. Tragically he did not focus on the rising middle-class created by his modernization effort. An attempted assasination, probasbly carried out by the Tudeh Party, failed (1949). The Government as a result, banned the party. Laws were also passed expanding the Shah's constitutional powers. Iran rapidly developed its oil industry after the War, generating huge income to finance an ambitious development program. The United States supported the Shah in the Cold War. The Shah used the oil income to begin the modernization of the country. This was not the beginning of the modernizatin effort in Iran. The firt priod included Abbas Mirza, Qaem Maqam, Amir Kabir, and Sepahsalar. The second period was the Reformist movements in Constitutional Revolution. It was during the Pahlavi era after World War II, however, that really important progress was made, largely because if the vast oil revenue that became available. The Shah did not, however, allow for the development of democratic institutions. This led to growing popular resistance. Aspects of the modernization program offened conservatibe Muslim elements. The Shah's secret police suppressed democratic reforners and Islamic fundamentalists alike creating an alliance that surely would not have developed had the Shah attempted to bring the middle-class into his reform efforts.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi proved to be the last shah. The Islamic Revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini forced the Shah to flee the country. The Islamic Revolution abolished the monarchy and created a theocratic republic.
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