Iran and the Rise of the Reza Shah: From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power

The post-World War I years encompass one of the most important and engrossing chapters in 20th century Iranian history. The period begins with a triumvirate of Iranian political grandees, encouraged (and bribed) by the British government, attempting to shoe-horn Iran into the British Empire. This failed and clumsy episode is followed by a bizarre coup d’état engineered in great haste by a British general who knew virtually nothing of the country or her people. The coup brought to power a tough but obscure military officer from the backwoods, who became a Minister of War, disposed of the Prime Minister to take over the role himself, dabbled briefly with republicanism, then crowned himself as the Reza Shah Pahlavi, terminating 130 years of Qajar rule.

Cyrus Ghani is the author of Iran and the West.