25 photos show what Iran looked like before the 1979 revolution turned the nation into an Islamic republic

Jeremy Bender,Melia RobinsonSep 10, 2022, 01:46 IST

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi crowning Empress Farah at their coronation ceremony in 1967.PD-IRAN

From 1941 to 1979, Iran was ruled by King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah.
On February 11, 1979, the Islamic Revolution swept the country.
The government was replaced with an Islamic republic, which continues to this day.

In the decades before the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran was ruled by the Shah, whose dictatorship repressed dissent and restricted political freedoms.

But he also pushed the country to adopt Western-oriented secular modernization, allowing some degree of cultural freedom.

Under the Shah's rule, Iran's economy and educational opportunities expanded. Britain and the US counted Iran as their major ally in the Middle East, and the Shah forcefully industrialized large segments of the country.

But the Shah's increasingly authoritarian measures and his eventual dismissal of multiparty rule set the stage for the infamous revolution.

Still, for a period of almost 40 years, the Shah led Iran through a series of sweeping changes.

From 1941 to 1979, Iran was ruled by King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah.

Shah Muhammed Reza Pahlevi, his wife, Queen Fawzia, and the little Princess Shahnaz on the grounds of their palace near Teheran, Iran, in 1942.AP

Due to Iran's large supply of oil, proximity to India, and shared border with the Soviet Union, Britain and the US fully backed the Iranian government.

Sepah Square, the main square in Tehran, Iran, April 20, 1946.AP Photo/Tom Fitzsimmons

However, even before the Islamic Revolution, the Shah's grip on power was unsteady.

This is the White Palace of the Shah of Iran at Saadabad, Tehran, as it looked in August 1953, after the government upheavals. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi returned to power August 22, when his supporters ousted Premier Mohammed Mossadegh, who had forced the Shah to flee a few days earlier. AP

Communists and religious members of society disliked the Shah and his pro-Western government.

Cars and pedestrians travel on Ferdowsi Avenue in Tehran, Iran, April 20, 1946.AP Photo/Tom Fitzsimmons

In 1953, the Shah had to flee Iran after a Western-backed coup to overthrow Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh failed. A second coup succeeded in overthrowing Mosaddegh, who wanted to nationalize the Iranian oil industry to Britain's chagrin, and the Shah returned to the country.

Pedestrians and cars travel through the main intersection of Tehran, Iran, April 20,1946. Lalezar Avenue runs up the center of the photo toward the north, while Istanbul Avenue runs left to right.AP Photo/Tom Fitzsimmons

In 1953, the Shah had to flee Iran after a Western-backed coup to overthrow Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh failed. A second coup succeeded in overthrowing Mosaddegh, who wanted to nationalize the Iranian oil industry to Britain's chagrin, and the Shah returned to the country.