Pahlavi, Reza Shah

Pahlavi, Reza Shah (1877-1944), shah of Iran (1925-1941), born in Savad Kouh, Māzandarān Province. Pahlavi entered the Iranian army as a youth, and in 1921 was commander of a cavalry force. A large part of the country was then controlled by Soviet troops whom Pahlavi expelled. In a coup d'état he established a new government in which he was minister of war and commander in chief of the armed forces. In 1923 he became premier, and two years later, when the Majlis, or National Assembly, deposed the reigning monarch, Ahmad Shah, Pahlavi was elected in his stead. His reign was notable for the introduction of Western customs and for his attempts to improve the transport system and the financial structure of the country. In 1941, during World War II, when Reza Shah began to lean towards the Axis powers, Great Britain and the USSR occupied Iran and compelled him to abdicate in favour of his son, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi.