The development of Iran under the Shah

What was a Shah?

The monarch

Who controlled the oil fields whilst Iran was independent?

The British companies who gave money to the Shah’s government but most of the money went to Britain

In 1921, who took over the weak and incompetent young Shah?

Colonel Reza Shah took control of the government and became Prime Minister

When did Reza became Prime Minister and what did he do?

• 1925

• He built up an efficient and disciplined army and gained the support of the Parliament

What policy did Reza Shah do once he was in power?

He embarked on a policy of westernisation where he reorganised the school system, implemented western dress and told women to discard the veil

What else was built once Reza Shah got into power?

Roads and railways and the textile and steel industries were established

Who was the fourth biggest oil producer in 1930?

Iran

When did Reza Shah force the British to grant Iran more of the profits of the oil field?

1933

What happened during WW2 in Iran?

• The USSR and Britain invaded Iran to protect their oil fields and the troops couldn’t fight then

• Reza Shah abdicated in September and Muhammad Shah took over

How much bigger was Iran than Iraq?

3x

Even though Iran is a Muslim country, why is it different from the other Arab countries?

• It’s people are mostly non-Arab and do not speak Arabic (Persian)

• It is made up of Shia, not Sunni Muslim

When did the British and USSR retreated and what was the reaction?

• 1946

• Many called for complete control of Iran’s oil company

Who was the leading nationalist arguing that the Iranians should have complete control of their oil fields?

Mohammed Mossadeq

What did the US managed to convince the Anglio-Iranian Oil Company (BP) to do?

• To join their group of American and Dutch oil companies in exchange for 40% of the share in oil profits

• The new National Oil Company started production again

What did the Shahs new government do in 1955?

They signed a peace treaty and in 1956 they joined the Baghdad Pact

Why was the alliance with Iran important for the West?

The shah was anti-Soviet and protected the allies oil supply

When was the Mossadeq coup?

1955

Why was Mossadeq popular?

• Irans profit from oil was dropping

• He stood up to the West

What did the British manage to convince the US to do about Mossadeq?

To overthrow him by emphasising the Soviet threat along the Iran’s border (height of the Cold War)

In 1953, what did the USA and Britain do to Iran?

They put pressure on the Shah to replace Mossadeq with a pro-West PM and he was then imprisoned and put on trial

What was the Shah forced to do in 1951?

He was forced to appoint Mossadeq as PM due to his popularity

What did Mossadeq manage to do with the oil companies?

The Parliament passed a law and gave them full control

What did the British do in retaliation to the oil companies after Iran took complete control?

They persuaded other companies to join a blockade of their ports and refuse to buy from Iran

What did the Shah want Iran to be like? What did he do to achieve this?

He wanted Iran to be a powerful, independent state so he brought on young, Western educated men into his government in order to carry out his policies

When the Shah brought his reforms what was this periods of time called?

The White Revolution of 1963

What were the main reforms during the White Revolution?

• The transfer of land from the biggest to poorer farmers

• The grant to vote for women

• A huge expansion in the number of schools

• A doubling of the rate of literacy in the following fifteen years

Why did Iran become rich in the 1970s?

The rise in oil prices

What the big divide in Iran?

There was a big wealthy minority and a big poor majority

Why did people start to get angry at the Shah?

• Iran was becoming dependent on non-Muslim West - then street demonstrations began and targeted banks since they had close ties with the West

• Cinemas were also targeted as they played foreign films that were “unislamic”

Who began to increase their opposition in the late 1970s?

In the mosques, the Mullah (Shiite Muslim clergy) began to critic the corruption of the Shah’s government