Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

[[File:Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.png|thumb|165px|Seen here cosplaying as a [[czar]].]] {{politics}}
'''Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi''' {{lived|1919|1980}} was the [[Absolute monarchy|hereditary dictator]] of [[Iran]] prior to the 1979 revolution by [[Ayatollah Khomeini]].  He was a strong ally of the [[United States]], especially since the [[CIA]] put him in power (with the support of the Iranian military) to check the power of the Prime Minister [[Mohammad Mossadegh]].<ref>"[https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n21/andrew-bacevich/a-prize-from-fairyland A Prize from Fairyland]", Andrew Bacevich, ''London Review of Books'', Vol. 39 No. 21, 2 November 2017, pages 5-6. Review of ''Foreign Relations of the US, 1952-54, Iran, 1951-54'', edited by James Van Hook for the Department of State, Washington DC. Chiron Academic Press, 2017</ref> He was removed from power in the {{wpl|1953 Iranian coup d'état||.}} The coup that brought Pahlavi to power was also instigated by the [[British]], who had previously had Iran in their sphere of influence and were worried about losing their [[oil]] contracts within the country.<ref>John W. Limbert, [http://books.google.com/books?id=bihEK0FJxaAC&pg=PA76#v=onepage&q&f=false Negotiating with Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History]. U.S. Institute of Peace Press, 2009, ISBN 9781601270436, p. 76.</ref>

Pahlavi was always considered a tool of the [[West]], as he was put in power over his father due to an Anglo-Soviet invasion during [[World War II]].{{fact}}  The previous Shah did not allow the transport of [[United States Armed Forces|US military]] equipment to the [[USSR]], and so he was deposed.{{citation needed}}  

The Shah was seen in the West as the perfect example of an enlightened Eastern king and reformer; to be fair, he did give [[women]] the right to vote.  However, elections were mostly meaningless in the Shah's Iran, there being only two [[legal]] political parties,<ref group=note>They were nicknamed the "Yes Party" and the "Of Course Party" for their attitudes to royal rule, [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,945047-10,00.html]</ref> and were a rare scenario of a ''de jure'' two-party system. Even in the West there were many who were upset at how his reforms were always promised and never acted upon.  Today, he is almost universally seen for the dictator he was, though there are those would consider his reign as [[Not as bad as|better than that of the current Iranian government]] (and there were indeed more benefits than living under the current government).

The Iranian hostage crisis was precipitated by the US allowing Pahlavi to come to the US to receive [[cancer]] treatment; the secrecy around his health problems had already weakened his authority.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/17/magazine/the-shah-s-health-a-political-gamble.html The Shah's Health: A Political Gamble], New York Times, May 17, 1981</ref>

Some Iranian expatriates occasionally talk of trying to put Pahlavi's son Reza Pahlavi in power.<ref>{{wpa|Monarchism in Iran}}</ref> He has consistently denied any such ambitions, though he pushes (from the United States) for a more [[democratic]] Iran.{{fact}}

Of interest to certain [[Neo-Nazism|idiots]], Pahlavi also held the title of ''Aryamehr'', meaning "Light of the [[Aryan]]s."  Because, remember: The real Aryans did not live in [[Europe]] (unless you count the Romani).<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/1.5127018 How 'Iran' and 'Aryan' Are Connected], Ha'aretz, May 30,2010</ref><ref>''[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mi1KDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA131&ots=ke_GapJp5A&dq=iran%20aryan%20Aryamehr&pg=PA131#v=onepage&q=iran%20aryan%20Aryamehr&f=false Perceptions of Iran: History, Myths and Nationalism from Medieval Persia to the Islamic]'', Ali M. Ansari, I.B. Tauris, 30 Nov 2013, p131</ref>

==See also==
*[[Bahram Aryana]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pahlavi, Mohammad Reza}}
[[Category:Coups]]
[[Category:Dictators]]
[[Category:Government incompetence]]
[[Category:Iranian politicians]]
[[Category:Iranians]]
[[Category:Middle-Eastern politicians]]
[[Category:Monarchs]]
[[Category:Muslims]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:We're on a mission from God]]

Categories: Coups, Dictators, Government incompetence, Iranian politicians, Iranians, Middle-Eastern politicians, Monarchs, Muslims, Military, We're on a mission from God