MUHAMMAD REZA SHAH PAHLAVI

(1919-1979)

Usually known during his lifetime as simply the shah, Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi ascended the throne inIranin 1941 after his father,Reza Shah Pahlavi, was forced to abdicate because of reputed pro-Germansentiments. The new shah continued his father's policies of centralization, which tended to reduce the power of the Kurdishtribes.

After crushing theMahabad Republic of Kurdistanin December 1946, the shah hanged its highly respected leaderQazi Muhammadin March 1947. In March 1975, the shah treacherously ended his support forMulla Mustafa Barzaniby making a deal withSaddam Hussein. Barzani's long-running revolt quickly collapsed, while Barzani himself went into exile and died in March 1979. The shah's collapse in 1979 helped lead to a new Kurdish revolt in Iran, but it too was crushed by the new Islamic Republic of Iran headed by theAyatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.