Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Born in 1919 in Tehran, Mohammad Reza was the eldest son of Reza Pahlavi, the first Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty. Educated in Switzerland, he returned to Iran in 1936 and later joined the Tehran Military Academy. He became Shah in 1941 after his father’s abdication. During World War II, Iran was invaded, leading to Mohammad Reza’s exile. Upon his return, he consolidated power, opposing influential prime ministers and eliminating political rivals. In 1949, after an assassination attempt, he banned the Tudeh Party and expanded his constitutional powers.