His Road to Power

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1905-11 The "Constitutional Revolution" in which the national bourgeoisie attempt to reduce the power of the reigning Shah-of the Qajar dynasty. After many upheavals ends in failure. 1921. After the effective collapse of central government in the aftermath of the imperialist war and the Russian Revolution, with the encouragement of the British imperialist government of Lloyd George, a group of army officers staged a military coup and restored central authority. These officers had been trained by the Imperial Russian cossacks; their leader was Reza Khan. 1925. Reza Khan deposes the Qajar dynasty and declares himself Shah (King) founding the *Pahlavi dynasty • 1941 Reza Shah, who supported Hitler; was deposed by joint occupation of Iran by the British and Soviet armies. 1943.45. The counter-revolutionary deal dividing up the post-war world between imperialist and Stalinist spheres of intiuence "awards" Iran 90%10% to the imperialists. 1945-46. Reza Shah's son restored by imperialists to throne as constitutional monarch. To placate USA, the Soviet Union withdraws its support from the Kurdestan and Azibijan republics set up under Soviet protection during the war. They collapse and the new Shah and his government restore central control. 1951-53. The bourgeois National Front government led by Dr. Mosadeq tries to take action against imperialist interests and comes into conflict with the Shah, an imperialist puppet. The Shah goes into temporary exile. With the help of the CIA and the Iranian army leaders he seizes power in a coup So begins the 26-year tyranny. 1963: Popular opposition to the Shah's regime leads to a closer agreement with British and US imperialism and a change of policy. Very limited social reforms are instituted, demagogically called the "White Revolution". The apparatus of the police state is strengthened and Iran is converted into front line of military and political detence of imperialism • in the Middle East and beyond. 1977-79. After 14 years of ever more bloodthirsty police state, new signs of opposition from workers, intellectuals and Islamic leaders, followed from January 1978 by mounting street demonstrations and strikes. This unstoppable mass movement forces the Shah into exile.