Person

Reza Shah

1878–1944 · 20th century · Also known as Reza Shah Pahlavi, Reza Khan

Reza Shah was an officer of the Persian Cossack Brigade who seized power in a coup in 1921 as Reza Khan. He became prime minister in 1923 and in 1925 the Majlis deposed the last Qajar shah and made him shah, founding the Pahlavi dynasty. He built a modern army, railway and state, but Britain and the Soviet Union forced him to abdicate in 1941.

Reza Shah
Image: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Qajar IranDecline, Summary

Mentioned in 7 state histories

Bakhtiari confederationKhanate of MakuQashqai confederationQajar IranSheikhdom of MohammerahPersian Socialist Soviet RepublicPahlavi Iran

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Reza Shah. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/reza-shah
MLA
“Reza Shah.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/reza-shah. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Reza Shah.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/reza-shah.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Reza Shah’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/reza-shah (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻