Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (Persian: محمدرضا شاه پهلوی) ( October 26 , 1919 – July 27 , 1980 ) holder of the deferential title Aryamehr ("Light of the Aryans "), was the last Shah of Iran , ruling from 1941 until 1979 .

Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi , Shah of Iran , ( Persian : محمدرضا شاه پهلوی ; 26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980), was the emperor of Iran from 16 September 1941, until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979. He was the second and last monarch of the House of Pahlavi of the Iranian monarchy . Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi held several titles: His Imperial Majesty, Shahanshah (King of Kings, Emperor), Aryamehr (Light of the Aryans ) and Bozorg Arteshtārān (Head of the Warriors, Persian : بزرگ ارتشتاران).

Perso-Arabic text Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi ( ; 26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the king of Iran ( Shah of Iran ) from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Islamic Revolution on 11 February 1979. He took the title Shāhanshāh ("Emperor" or "King of Kings") on 26 October 1967. He was the second and last monarch of the House of Pahlavi of the Iranian monarchy. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi held several other titles, including that of Aryamehr (Light of the Aryans ) and Bozorg Arteshtārān (Head of the Warriors). Mohammad Reza Pahlavi came to power during World War II after an Anglo-Soviet invasion forced the abdication of his father Reza Shah . During Mohammad Reza's reign, the Iranian oil industry was briefly nationalized under the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh before a U.S. and UK-backed coup d'état deposed Mosaddegh and brought back foreign oil firms, and Iran marked the anniversary of 2,500 years of continuous monarchy since the founding of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great . As ruler, he introduced the White Revolution , a series of economic, social and political reforms with the proclaimed intention of transforming Iran into a global power and modernizing the nation by nationalizing certain industries and granting women suffrage. A secular Muslim, Mohammad Reza gradually lost support from the Shi'a clergy of Iran as well as the working class, particularly due to his strong policy of modernization, secularization, conflict with the traditional class of merchants known as bazaari , recognition of Israel , and corruption issues surrounding himself, his family, and the ruling elite. Various additional controversial policies were enacted, including the banning of the communist Tudeh Party , and a general suppression of political dissent by Iran's intelligence agency , SAVAK . According to official statistics, Iran had as many as 2,200 political prisoners in 1978, a number which multiplied rapidly as a result of the revolution. Several other factors contributed to strong opposition to the Shah among certain groups within Iran, the most notable of which were United States and UK support for his regime, clashes with Islamists and increased communist activity. By 1979, political unrest had transformed into a revolution which, on 17 January, forced him to leave Iran. Soon thereafter, the Iranian monarchy was formally abolished, and Iran was declared an Islamic republic led by Ayatollah Khomeini . Facing likely execution should he return to Iran, he died in exile in Egypt , whose President, Anwar Sadat , had granted him asylum . Due to his last status as the last de facto Shah of Iran, he is known even outside Iran as simply "the Shah".

Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979 Not to be confused with Reza Shah , his father, or Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran , his son. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ( , ; 26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980), also known as Mohammad Reza Shah ( محمد رضا شاه ), was the last Shah ( King ) of Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow in the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979. Due to his status as the last Shah of Iran, he is often known as simply the Shah . Mohammad Reza Shah took the title Shahanshah (" King of Kings ") on 26 October 1967. He was the second and last monarch of the House of Pahlavi . Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi held several other titles, including that of Aryamehr ("Light of the Aryans ") and Bozorg Arteshtaran ("Commander-in-Chief"). His dream of what he referred to as a "Great Civilisation" ( ) in Iran led to a rapid industrial and military modernisation, as well as economic and social reforms. Mohammad Reza came to power during World War II after an Anglo-Soviet invasion forced the abdication of his father, Reza Shah Pahlavi . During Mohammad Reza's reign, the British owned oil industry was briefly nationalized by Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh until a UK- and US-backed coup d'état deposed Mosaddegh and brought back foreign oil firms under the Consortium Agreement of 1954 . During Mohammad Reza's reign, Iran marked the anniversary of 2,500 years of continuous Persian monarchy since the founding of the Achaemenid Empire by Cyrus the Great . Concurrent with this celebration , Mohammad Reza changed the benchmark of the Iranian calendar from the hegira to the beginning of the First Persian Empire , measured from Cyrus the Great's coronation. Mohammad Reza also introduced the White Revolution , a series of economic, social and political reforms with the proclaimed intention of transforming Iran into a global power and modernizing the nation by nationalizing certain industries and granting women suffrage. During his 38-year rule, Iran spent billions on industry, education, health, and armed forces and enjoyed economic growth rates exceeding the United States, England, and France. The national income also rose 423 times over. By 1977, Iran's armed services spending had made it the world's fifth strongest military. Mohammad Reza lost support from the Shi'a clergy of Iran and the working class due to alleged corruption related to himself and the royal family, suppression of political dissent via Iran's intelligence agency , SAVAK (including the arrest of up to 3,200 political prisoners), widespread torture and imprisonment of political dissidents, banishment of the Tudeh Party , US and UK support for his regime, his modernization policies, laïcité or secularism, conflict with wealthy merchants known as bazaaris , relations with Israel , and clashes with leftists and Islamists. By 1979, this political unrest became a revolution leading to the monarchy's overthrow. The Shah's refusal to order his troops to fire on protesters forced him to leave Iran on 17 January 1979. Soon thereafter, the Iranian monarchy was formally abolished, and Iran was declared an Islamic republic led by Ruhollah Khomeini (known in the West as Ayatollah Khomeini). Facing likely execution should he return to Iran, the Shah died in exile in Egypt , whose president, Anwar Sadat , had granted him asylum . Secularism and Identity: Non-Islamiosity in the Iranian Diaspora .

Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979 "The Shah" redirects here. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980), commonly known as simply the Shah , was the last Shah of Iran , ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution , which abolished the Iranian monarchy to establish the present-day Islamic Republic of Iran . In 1967, he took the title Shahanshah ( lit. ' King of Kings ' ), and also held several others, including Aryamehr ( lit. ' Light of the Aryans ' ) and Bozorg Arteshtaran ( lit. ' Grand Army Commander ' ). He was the second and last ruling monarch of the Pahlavi dynasty . His vision of the " Great Civilization " ( تمدن بزرگ ) led to his leadership over rapid industrial and military modernization, as well as economic and social reforms in Iran. During World War II , the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran forced the abdication of Reza Shah and succession of Mohammad Reza Shah. During his reign, the British-owned oil industry was nationalized by the prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh , who had support from Iran's national parliament to do so; however, Mosaddegh was overthrown in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état , which was carried out by the Iranian military under the aegis of the United Kingdom and the United States. Subsequently, the Iranian government centralized power under the Shah and brought foreign oil companies back into the country's industry through the Consortium Agreement of 1954 . In 1963, Mohammad Reza Shah introduced the White Revolution , a series of reforms aimed at transforming Iran into a global power and modernizing the nation by nationalizing key industries and redistributing land . The regime also implemented Iranian nationalist policies establishing numerous popular symbols of Iran relating to Cyrus the Great . The Shah initiated major investments in infrastructure, subsidies and land grants for peasant populations, profit sharing for industrial workers, construction of nuclear facilities, nationalization of Iran's natural resources , and literacy programs which were considered some of the most effective in the world. The Shah also instituted economic policy tariffs and preferential loans to Iranian businesses which sought to create an independent Iranian economy. Manufacturing of cars, appliances, and other goods in Iran increased substantially, creating a new industrialist class insulated from threats of foreign competition. By the 1970s, the Shah was seen as a master statesman and used his growing power to pass the 1973 Sale and Purchase Agreement . The reforms culminated in decades of sustained economic growth that would make Iran one of the fastest-growing economies among both the developed world and the developing world . During his 37-year-long rule, Iran spent billions of dollars' worth on industry, education, health, and military spending. The Iranian national income rose 423 times over, and the country saw an unprecedented rise in per capita income —which reached the highest level of any point in Iran's history—and high levels of urbanization . By 1977, the Shah's focus on defense spending to end foreign powers' intervention in the country had culminated in the Iranian military standing as the world's fifth-strongest armed force. As political unrest grew throughout Iran in the late 1970s, the Shah's position was made untenable by the Cinema Rex fire and the Jaleh Square massacre . The 1979 Guadeloupe Conference saw his Western allies state that there was no feasible way to save the Iranian monarchy from being overthrown. The Shah ultimately left Iran for exile in January 1979. Although he had told some Western contemporaries that he would rather leave the country than fire on his own people, estimates for the total number of deaths during the Islamic Revolution range from 540 to 2,000 (figures of independent studies) to 60,000 (figures of the Islamic government ). After formally abolishing the Iranian monarchy, Shia Islamist cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini assumed leadership as the Supreme Leader of Iran . Mohammad Reza Shah died in exile in Egypt , where he had been granted political asylum by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat , and his son Reza Pahlavi declared himself the new Shah of Iran in exile. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).