The Pahlavi Dynasty of Persia – A Short History

During the 19th century European powers were striving for overseas colonies in the era of modern imperialism. The was the Great Game. A rivalry of Great Britain and the Russian Empire over control of the Middle East. Early 20th century Iran was carved up by these two powers into spheres of influence. It laid the foundation to the Triple Entente allience for the First World War. The northern western area of Persia saw heavy fighting during the Great War. The Pahlavi dynasty was founded Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1925,. He before served in the Persian Cossack Brigade. During WW II Persia was invaded by both England and the Soviet Union. The Tehran Conference (1943) took place in Persia. After the Second World War was over Iran was granted independence and democratic elections were held. The elected Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown during the 1953 Iranian coup d'état. More dissatisfaction would lead to the Iranian Islamic Revolution.
History Hustle presents: [History of Iran] The Pahlavi dynasty - Iran during the Great War / Second World War / Cold War.

Recorded on the 23rd of December 2017 in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

[pliedtka]

Yes, there's Polish cemetery in Tehran. 1941, after Germany invaded Russia, Gen. Anders who was released from prison in Lubyanka, gets the task form a Polish Army in USSR from Poles who found them on Russian controlled territory after 1939, surviving POWs and prisoners of gulags, as a result of talks between Polish Government on Exile in London and Stalin. However, Anders in 1942, decided to move the entire army through Turkmenistan and Allied formed Persian Corridor to English controlled Middle East. With the army large number of civilians was also evacuated from Russia. Many who didn't make the treacherous trip are burried on the grounds of the cemetery.
My Kurdish-Iranian ex girlfriend lived in Hamadan (Ectabana during the time of Persian Empire), where story of Syrian bear cub named Wojtek beguns. The bear became a mascot of 22nd Artillery Supply Company.

[luxembourgishempire]

Good video Stefan although one mistake. The great game was between the UK and Russia not England and Russia. Also I wonder how you got your Iranian visa? 🤔

[yousufsiddiqsyed]

i was shocked to hear you pronouncing names differently coz u always nail it

[borispetshop]

To me the shah is better than Ayatollah

[umadixit]

It's Iran with the "I" pronounced as in ink. It's not pronounced like the "I" in Iceland. Sounds clueless.

[umadixit]

The Shah's regime was very corrupt and his secret service SAVAK committed huge human rights violations - torturing and killing dissidents. These people were/are disgustingly wealthy. The Shah's daily meals were flown in on the Concorde from Paris. While 51 percent of Iran's population was poverty stricken and there was a drought ravaging the country the Shah celebrated 2500 years of the monarchy by organizing the most expensive party in world history. It is/was appalling. Reza Pahlavi and Farah worked for the emanicipation of women ? Farah was the Shah's third wife. He divorced his first two wives because they could not bear him sons. Emanicipated indeed. Also did he even know that the sex of the child is determined by the chromosome configuration of the male and not by that of the female ? Regardless how is this progressive in any sense ? The family fled Iran not because they thought they were doing their country a favour. They ran because they feared for their lives. The Pahlavi dynasty was founded by a non-aristocratic Manzadarin soldier in 1925. So much for all those who believe in dynastic monarchies. The Pahlavis are not descendants of Cyrus by any means. They are arrivistas. Moreover the Shah himself ascended the throne riding on the CIA's coat-tails - a CIA backed coup for which he was paid a million dollars....laughable. An inept ruler he was. He was also notorious for his infidelities, for his insatiable sexual appetite and for his preference for tall, blue-eyed European women. The family in exile....Farah lives in a luxurious Paris apartment with live-in domestic help. She has a car, a chauffeur and a body-guard. Valentino sends her his private jet so that she can fly to Milan to attend a fashion show. The family has a huge fortune tucked away in Swiss banks and other tax-free havens. Some exile. She prefers to be addressed as Shahbanou and spends her time rmaintaining her "empress image" . These people are privileged and their lives cannot be compared to those of the simple folk who either stayed back in Iran or had to flee the Khomeini regime. God forbid this family be reinstated as monarchs again. That said the presentg regime is equally bad. Theocracies and autocracies are bad news.