The Pahlaví were the last dynasty of the Iranian monarchy to rule over Iran, between 1925 and 1979, until its overthrow by the Islamic Revolution.
In 1925 the absent sah Ahmad Shah was officially deposed, which ended the Qayar dynasty and promoted the Reza Jan throne, which he chose as the name Reza Pahlaví and founded the Pahlavi dynasty. That same year the construction of a railway between the Persian Gulf and the Caspi Sea began, financed by a tax on tea and sugar. In 1927, the Bank-e Melli-e Iran (Central Bank) was founded. The following year it replaced the British Imperial Bank of Persia as the only issuer of paper money in the country. In October 1927 a fishing company was created between Iran and the Soviet Union for a period of 25 years. In 1932 the oil concession was canceled for D'Arcy, and renewed the following year when a new pact was signed.
In 1937, a non-aggression and friendship pact called Sa'dabad was signed with Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan. Sah Reza employed a large number of German and Austrian engineers and technicians in his attempt to modernize the industry. At the outbreak of World War II, Iran declared itself neutral, fearing sabotage. Britain and the Soviet Union called for the expulsion of enemy technicians. By not taking such measures the Persian Government, both countries simultaneously invaded Iran, and after a short resistance, the sah Reza abdicated in his first-born Mohammad in September 1941.
The new monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlaví appointed Mohammad Ali Forughi as prime minister and expelled the German and Austrian technicians. On January 9, 1942, the tripartite alliance was signed, by which the foreign troops would retire in six months, but they would have full access to the country. As part of the agreement, the army had to be reinforced, so the United States was asked for help. Iran declared war on Germany on September 9, 1943, in December the Tehran Conference took place between Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin, who agreed to give economic support and keep Iran intact.
In March 1975 all the political parties were dissolved and the single party "Resurgence of Iran" was created, a strong repression prevented all opposition. The repression is led by the Organization of Security and Information of Iran (SAVAK), in this context several groups of urban guerrillas in the country. In 1976, the International Commission of Jurists and Amnesty International accused SAVAK of maintaining a regime of terror. On August 6, 1977 Hoveida is replaced by Yamshid Amuzegar as prime minister.
The climate of protests extends throughout the country and in the summer of 1978 there are serious incidents in Tehran and other cities that cause hundreds of deaths when confronting the armed forces. Faced with this situation, Amuzegar was replaced by Yaafar Sharif Emami on August 27, 1978. On September 8, martial law was proclaimed and the resignation of Hoveida as minister was accepted on September 10. The government fails and the situation worsens and a military government led by General Reza Azharí is created, which tries to fight against corruption and opposition. Its failure forces the sah to replace him with a civil government led by Shapur Bakhtiar and then go into exile in January 1979.
The return of Khomeini on February 1 accelerated the disintegration of the government and the Council of Regency (legality body of the monarchy created by the sah before going into exile), and on February 12 the Imperial Guard is defeated and the armed forces completing the triumph of the revolution and the end of the Pahlavi dynasty.