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KatieArkleyMohammadRezaPahlavi
Mr.Douville
3rdPeriod
11/21/14

Blue/Background:
Letmetellyouquitebluntlythatthiskingbusinesshasgivenmepersonallynothingbut
headaches.RezaPahlavistatedashewassickofbeingtormentedbytheIranianpeople.
MohammadRezaPahlaviwastheShahin1941.HewasbornonOctober29,1919inTehran,the
capitalofIran.Helivedawealthylifeunderhisfather,RezaPahlavi.(Maxson,Background)
WhenhisfatherwastakenoutofpowerbytheAlliesafterWWII,Mohammadwasputinto
powerbytheUS.Mohammadwasonlyinpowerfor10years.HewasoverthrownbyMossadeq
whowasremovedbyCoup53(US)in1953.MohammadRezaPahlaviwasthenputbackinto
poweruntil1979whenhewasremovedagainbythepeopleofIran.AyatollahRuhollah
KhomeiniwasthenelectedintopowerbythepeopleofIran.(WorldBookOnline,BackinTme)
Althoughhisreignwassomewhatshort,Mohammadaccomplishedmanythingsinhis
dictatorship.SomepeoplewereangryatMohammadfortakingtotalcontrolofthegovernment.
Somepeopleweregladthatsomeonewhowasinchargeknewwhattheyweredoing.
Mohammad,inasense,wastheDr.JekyllandMr.HydeofIran.(Maxson,Accomplishments)
MohammadMossadeghwasalsoborninTehran,hewasbornonJune16th,1882.Hewasthe
sonofMirzaHedayatAshtiani,MinisterofFrance.Hehadoneyoungersisterinhisentire
familyandlaterwithhiswifehad5children.(mohammadmossadeq.com)Hewasagainstmost
everythingthatMohammadRezaPahlavidid.HeeventuallyoverthrewMohammadin1951.
(CNNCoup53)Hewasremovedfrompowerin1953byCoup53.ThisiswhenMohammad

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Rezacamebackintopower.Heleftin1979becausethegovernmentwascorruptandhewasnt
helpingthecausehewasexiledtoPanama.(WorldBookOnline,TimelineofLeaders)
Khomeinicameoutofexileimmediately(Paris)totakehisplace.Khomeiniwastheleaderof
muslimsandhestagedanenormousrevolution.(biography.com)However,backtoMohammad
Pahlavi,hewasveryunpredictable.RezaPahlaviwasareformingleaderwhose
politicalsocial
andeconomicpoliciescausedrevolution
inIranwhichledtothe
US
HostageCrisis.
Political:
MohammadRezaPahlavichangedIranpoliticallybychangingtheoldpoliciesinIran
andreplacingthemwithhisownpoliciesandreformswhichalsoledthetheIranianRevolution
of1979.MohammadPahlaviledasadictator.HecontrolledmostifnotalloftheIranian
government.HeopposedthePrimeMinistersbecausehewantedallofthepowertohimself.
(IranChamber)Hecontrolledtrade,economicsandequalwealththatintheendwasntso
equal.HemainlytradedwiththeUS.HetradedoilandotherraregoodsfoundinIran.Hewas
saidtobeaUSPuppetthatdidwhattheUSsaidanddidwhateverittooktogetitdone.He
alsocreatedSAVAKwhichisanorganizationthatsupportedtheShah.Thetorturedanyonewho
spokeoutagainsttheShahandiftheydidnttorturethem,theykilledthem,puttheminjail,or
foundanotherwayofmentallyandpossiblyphysicallyscaringthem.Thepeopleweresickof
beingterrifiedbytheterrorgroup.Theywantedanewleaderwhoputthepeoplesneedsbefore
hisown.(HistoricPersonalitiesofIran)
Howitledtotherevolution:
ThegovernmentunderPahlaviwascorrupt.Moneywaslowandpeoplewere
unemployed.Iranianscravedanhonorablegovernment.Thewantedagovernmentthatwasnt

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tradingasmuchwiththeUS.TheyneededsomeonewhowasdedicatedtohelpingIran,notthe
US.Theyrevoltedbecauseofhisdictatorways.Theydidntappreciatedthemodernizationhe
wasbringingtoIran.Yet,theywantedmodernizationastoimprovethegovernmentand
economy.TheIranianswasamoderngovernmentwiththeold,religiousways.Theyrevoltedby
exilingMohammad,andthenelectingAyatollahtobetheirnewleader.(HistoricPersonalitiesof
Iran)
Economically:
MohammadRezaPahlavichangedIraneconomicallybyindustrializingIran,controlled
unequalwealth,whichalsoledtotherevolution.RezaPahlaviindustrializedIranbycreating
roadsandhighways,railways,dams,irrigationsystems,landreformandsupportforindustrial
expansion.Healsocreateda7yearexpansionplanforIranusingthehelpoftheUS.WhenIran
wasinneedoffundingfromBritainandtheUSforoilindustrialization,theUSwashappyto
givethemmoneybuttheBritishwerentintoit.Iranwasputontrialbecauseofthis,butthejury
ruledinIransfavor.TheUSthenhelpedIrandrillforoilaseverylastpennyofIrans
governmentwasputintohelpingdrillforoil.(TheIranPrimerOil,Gas,andIndustry)
LedtoRevolution:
Thisledtoarevolutionbecausethewealthwasntevenlydistributed.Noteverybodygot
anequalpartintheoilsrevenuebecauseIrancouldntkeepupwiththemoney.Thisledto
socialissuesinIran.ThepeopleblamedtheShahforthis.Theyweremadthattheydidntget
equalamountofmoneyandthatsomepeoplehadmoremoneythanothers.Theychose
AyatollahbecausetheybelievedthatAyatollahwouldsharethewealthequallybecausehewas
stricterandwouldownupmoretothemoneyandhisresponsibilitiesasaleader.(TheIran

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PrimerOil,Gas,andIndustry)
Socially:
ShahimpactedIransociallybycreatingreformsduringtheWhiteRevolution,whichwas
amajorpartoftheIranianRevolution.Heallowedwomentovoteaswellashavingsomeother
privilegesthattheywerentallowedbefore,likenothavingtocovertheirfaces.TheShahs
governmentcreatednewhospitalsandschools.Theymadenewairportsandhighways.Iranwas
lookinggoodphysically,buteconomically,theywerepoor.TheShahmadesomemajorchanges
butIrandidnthaveenoughmoney.Thegovernmentwascorruptandpeoplewerestarvingand
unemployed.(Maxson,Background)TheShahremovedallsecularoppositionbyusingSAVAK
againstallofthepeople.Thepeoplewerescaredoutoftheirminds.(lcweb2.loc.gov/)
LedtoRevolution:
Thisledtorevolutionbecausethepeoplehadhadenough.Noonewantedtodealwith
theShahandhisterrifyingways.TheywantedsomeonewhowouldreformIran,liketheShah,
withoutterrorizingtheirpeople.WhentheShahwasexiled,thequestioncameupWhoisgoing
totaketheShahsplace?TheShias(Shiites)believedthatMohammadRezasrelativesshould
replacehimwhiletheSunniswantedanelectionofleaderscalledCaliphs.(PearsonMyWorld).
Asyoucanprobablytell,theShiasandSunnisdontgetalong.TheShiasareverystrictandthe
Sunnisareveryrelaxed.TheShahwasaShia.HewassupposedtobestrictandletNOTHING
fly.ThepeopleofIranexpectedhimtodothis.TheShahwasheldtoextremelyhighstandards
bytheIranians.WhentheShahleft,theIranianswantedhimtocomebacktoIrantobetried.
TheUSrefusedtolethimgowhichwasthefinalstrawfortheIranians,thisishowtheUS
HostageCrisisbegan.(Maxson,Background)

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HostageCrisis:
AfterMohammadlefttoPanama,IranwantedhimtocomebacktoIraninordertobeput
ontrial.MohammadRezaPahlavisoughthelpfromtheUStohelpwithhiscancerofwhichhe
wasdiagnosedin1979justafterheleftIran.WhenhewenttotheUS,Iranbecameextremely
irritated.TheIranianstook66hostagesthatbelongedtotheUSEmbassybaseinIran.TheUS
werefuriousbuttheydidntsendRezaPahlaviback.RezaPahlaviwenttoCairoEgyptwherehe
finallydiedin1980.Thehostageswereheldfor444daysbeforetheywerereleased.(Sheppard
Software,Iran)Theirhandsandankleswereviciouslytiedtogether.Theywereforbiddento
speaklesbeinjuredinsomeway(Beaten,hitbyguns,etc.)Theywereabandonedinacellwith
sometimes,twoorthreementokeepthemcompany.Theywereservedasimplemeal,three
timesaday,andiftheyspokeordidsomethingthatwasevenalittlethreatening,twotimesa
day.Theywereleftinthedank,darkbasementuntiltheShahdied.Theywerethenrescuedby
theUS.(armytimes.com,Lifeasahostage)
TheShahleftanunbelievablelegacybyleadinganalmostimpossiblecountryasa
dictator.Eventhoughhefailedmiserably,heprovedtobeaprettyamazinglytalentedman.The
ironicthingaboutIranisthattheyareacountrydesperatelyinneedofamodernizedgovernment
yetthestillreferbacktotheiroldreligiousways.
TheRevolutionstartedbecauseIranthought
thatMohammadwastoomodernandWesternfortheoldfashionwaysofIran.Theywanteda
morereligiousleaderwhowasabetterShiiteandsomeonewhowasstricterreligiouslythanhe
alreadywas.Thepeoplerevoltedagainsthismodernways.Khomeiniwasputintopower.The
IraniansbelievedthatKhomeiniwasastrongerleaderwhowasloyaltohisreligion.(World
Book,MohammadRezaPahlavi)
ShahisakindofmagicwordwiththePersianpeople.Reza

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PahlaviRezaPahlaviisreferringtothepeoplewilldowhatyousayuntilyoudosomething
wrong.(BrainyQuotes)
TheEffectsoftheShahToday:
Today,becauseoftheShah,theUShasnorelationswithIran.AUSgovernmentofficial
spoketoIranin2013,forthefirsttimein33years.TheUSstillwillnottradewiththem,norwill
theUSdoanybusinesswiththem.ThankstotheShah,therewillalwaysbetensionbetweenthe
USandIran.Irantodaystruggleswithitsoilindustryanditseconomy.Becausetheeconomyis
sopoorlyrun,therevenuefromtheoilisstillnotevenlydistributed.Theoilbusinessisan
unpredictablebusiness,thereforetheeconomyisunpredictable.Iranwillfindstruggleinits
governmentuntiltheydecidetopracticethemodernwaysofeconomyandgovernmental
policies.
(WorldBook,MohammadRezaPahlavi)

Conclusion:
Conclusively,MohammadRezaPahlaviinfluencedIranpolitically,economicallyand
politically,aswellaschangingtherelationshipsbetweencountriesandIran.Thanksto
MohammadRezaPahlavi,theworldwillneverbethesameagain.Hislegacywasonethatwill
neverbeforgotten.Thoughaleader,alwayshaverespectforyourpeople.Evenifitmeans
sacrificingyourself.Mohammadneversaidthis.Thisiswhatwaspulledfromalloftheresearch.
Mohammadwasandwillforeverbe,oneofthemostunforgettableleadersinhistory.