 | |
| Reign | December 15, 1925 – September 16, 1941 |
| Predecessor | Ahmad Shah Qajar |
| Successor | Mohammad Reza Shah |
| Spouse | Tadj ol-Molouk |
| Father | Abbas Ali |
| Mother | Noush Afrin |
| Born | March 16, 1878 |
| Died | July 26, 1944 |
Reza Shah Pahlavi (Persian: رضا پهلوی) also Reza Shah the Great, (born March 16, 1878 in Alasht, Mazandaran – July 26, 1944 in Johannesburg, South Africa), styled His Imperial Majesty, was Shah of Iran from December 15, 1925 until September 16, 1941. He was the first monarch of the Pahlavi dynasty, and is credited with greatly modernizing his nation.[1]
Early life
Reza Pahlavi was born in the village of Alasht in Mazandaran province in 1878. His father, Colonel Abbas Ali, had been a member of the provincial army. When Pahlavi was fifteen years old, he joined the Cossack Brigade, in which, years later, he would become a commander.
He also served in the Iranian Army, where he gained the rank of Gunnery Sergeant under Qajar Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma's command. He was also one of the last individuals to become an Officer of the Nishan-e-Aqdas prior to the collapse of the Qajar dynasty in 1925.[2]
Rise to power
Overthrow of the Qajar dynasty
On February 21, 1921, under the new name of Reza Khan Mirpanj (Persian: رضا خان میرپنج), Pahlavi staged a coup d'état together with Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee.
Commanding a Russian-trained Cossack Brigade, General Reza marched his troops from Qazvin, 150 kilometres to the west of Tehran, and seized key parts of the capital city almost without opposition and forced the government to resign.[3]
With the success of the coup, Tabatabaee became the Prime Minister of Iran. Reza's first role in the new government was as commander of the army, which, in April 1921, he combined with the post of Minister of War. At the same time, he took the title Reza Khan Sardar Sepah (رضا خان سردار سپه).
Ascension to the Persian throne
On October 26, 1923, Ahmad Shah Qajar formally named him Prime Minister, and left to live in exile in Europe. The National Assembly of Iran, known as the Majlis, officially deposed the Qajar dynasty in 1925, four years after the coup had taken place. On December 12, 1925, the Majlis, convening as a constituent assembly, voted to crown Reza Pahlavi as the new Shah of Persia.[3]
Three days later, on December 15, 1925, he took his imperial oath and thus became the first Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty. However, it would not be until April 25, 1926, that Reza Shah would receive his coronation and first place the Imperial Crown on his head. At the same ceremony, his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was proclaimed the Crown Prince of Persia – to rule after his father.[4]
Reign and modernization
During Reza Shah's sixteen years of rule, major developments, such as large road construction projects and the Trans-Iranian Railway were built, modern education was introduced and the University of Tehran was established.[5] The government sponsored European educations for many Iranian students.[6]
On March 21, 1935, he formally requested that the international community stop using the name Persia, which had been in use in the West since ancient times, and to henceforth use Iran (the native name of the country) as the official name.
At the expense of religion, the Shah backed a strong policy of industrialization to ensure that the country was not dependent solely on its fossil fuel reserves and agricultural revenues. While Persia was once an advanced empire, the Iran of the early 20th century had become technologically backwards compared to the Western world. The Shah's new policies helped his country enter modern times.[1]
Though his achievements were great, by the mid-1930s, Reza Shah's constructive, but dictatorial style of rule had caused intense dissatisfaction to the Shi'a clergy throughout Iran, thus widening the gap between religion and government.[7]
Deposition and death
During World War I, Britain had ignored protests from the Qajar rulers and stationed troops in the province of Khuzestan. When World War II began, the United Kingdom again wished to station troops in Khuzestan.
Having previously declared neutrality, Reza Shah protested against this challenge to central government authority. Britain interpreted this refusal as favouring Nazi Germany. Fearing that Reza Shah was about to align his petroleum-rich country with Nazi Germany during the war, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union occupied Iran and forced Reza Shah to abdicate in favour of his son (see also Persian Corridor).[8]
The reality was that Reza Shah despised the Nazis, and declared Iran neutral so it could reconstruct Iran as a modern state without having to deal with the Soviets and British, whom the Shah feared had plans to seize control of the country and its resources.[9]
The Shah's son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, officially replaced his father on the throne on September 16, 1941. Reza Shah soon went into exile, first to Mauritius, then to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he died on July 26, 1944, aged 67. After his death, a mausoleum was built in his honor in Iran, where his body was buried. His son later designated the title "the Great" to be added to his name.
Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Reza Shah's mausoleum was destroyed under the direction of Ayatollah Sadeq Khalkhali, which was sanctioned by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.[10]
Family
Out of his marriage with Tadj ol-Molouk, his son and successor Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was born. His son had three wives, including Princess Fawzia of Egypt, Princess Soraya, and Empress Farah Diba.
In 1922, Reza Shah married a third time, to Turan (Qamar al Molk) Amir Soleimani (1904 – 1995). From this marriage, he had one son, Gholam Reza. Reza Khan divorced her soon after, in 1923.[11]