Political Economy of Iran under the Pahlavi’s

Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, father and son, ruled Iran between 1926 and 1979. During their reign Iran saw all seasons, including modernisation, dictatorship, arbitrary rule, chaos, foreign invasion and revolution. It was also a period in which the Pahlavis’ nationalist ideology clashed with democratic ideals, communist aspirations and – ultimately – Islamist beliefs.  This article is an investigation in this regard.