Reza Shah Pahlavi

Reza Shah Pahlavi (1877–1944), shah of Iran (1925–41). An army officer, he led a coup in 1921, becoming prime minister and later (1925) founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. He made important military, administrative, and economic reforms, but the Allies forced him to resign in World War II for refusing to allow them to use Iran as a supply route.

See also: Iran.