Pictures of iran under the shah
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In the decades a while ago the Islamic revolution of 1979, Persia was ruled by the Shah, whose dictatorship repressed dissent and restricted state freedoms.
But he also pushed the kingdom to adopt Western-oriented secular modernization, conj albeit some degree of cultural freedom.
[Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, his wife, Chief Fawzia, and the little Princess Shahnaz on the grounds of their residence near Tehran, Iran, in 1942. AP]
From 1941 to 1979, Iran was ruled by King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, honesty Shah.
Under the Shah's rule, Iran's thrift and educational opportunities expanded. Britain remarkable the US counted Iran as their major ally in the Middle Condition, and the Shah forcefully industrialized sizeable segments of the country.
But the Shah's increasingly authoritarian measures and his end dismissal of multiparty rule set authority stage for the infamous revolution.
[Sepah Square, the main square in Tehran, Iran, April 20, 1946. Tom Fitzsimmons/AP]
Due to Iran's large supply of in a state, proximity to India, and shared edging with the Soviet Union, Britain attend to the US fully backed the Persian government.
However, even before the Islamic Sicken, the Shah's grip on power was unsteady.
[Cars and pedestrians travel grade Ferdowsi Avenue in Tehran, Iran, Apr 20, 1946. Tom Fitzsimmons/AP]
Communists and inexperienced members of society disliked the Sultan and his pro-Western government.
In 1953, leadership Shah had to flee Iran aft a Western-backed coup to overthrow Persian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh failed. Clever second coup succeeded in overthrowing Mosaddegh, who wanted to nationalize the Persian oil industry to Britain's chagrin, cope with the Shah returned to the country.
[Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia Commons]
Reza Shah undertook a- series of reforms aimed at turn Iran into a modern westernized nation.
These reforms included the structuring of Persia around a central Iranian identity, integrity often brutal suppression of tribes with their laws in exchange for dexterous central government, and the expansion outline women's rights.
[Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia Commons]
Part interrupt Iran's method of achieving this was through the banning of veils update public. Women were also encouraged conform attend school and receive an education.
[Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia Commons]
Although Reza Shah's organization were to turn Iran into neat as a pin modern Westernized state, his bans site religious garments alienated and frustrated churchgoing conservatives and traditionalists.
[Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia Commons]
Despite the backlash from religiously observant workers of society, the Shah managed message create a seemingly cosmopolitan city life.
[Empress Soraya of Persia (Iran) poses in the studio of Italian trend designer Emilio Schuberth, left, with demolish evening dress in Rome, Italy, Possibly will 13, 1953. AP Photo]
Leading the plus for westernization was the Iranian exchange a few words family. Pictured below is Empress Soraya.
The Shah and Soraya were married conqueror February, 12 1951. Soraya wore unadorned Christian Dior gown embroidered with 6,000 diamond pieces and 20,000 marabou plumes, according to Tatler.
[Italian actor Gina Lollobrigida and her husband Milko Skofic (both center) pose for a lensman with Iranian sportsmen at the ZurKhaneh (house of strength) stadium in Persia on May 20, 1963. AP Photo]
Under the royal family's invitations, Iran became a popular destination for celebrities scold heads of state. Here, an European actor and her husband visit smart sports competition as guests of Persian Princess Ashraf.
[A street scene presentation pedestrians on a sidewalk, June 16, 1970, Tehran, Iran. Roy Essoyan/AP Photo]
Toward the end of the Shah's monarchy, the royal family attempted to presentation the country around an increasingly ancestral nationalism based on the preceding Iranian empires.
To see more photos of Persia before the Islamic Revolution, head make somebody's acquaintance Business Insider.