After many years of political turmoil in Iran during the first decades of the 20th century, Reza Khan rose to power and established the Pahlavi dynasty of Shahs in 1921, which would rule the country until the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The Pahlavi Shahs favored a moderate approach to Islam and instituted many social and economic reforms, raising hopes that Iran would become a modern and fully independent democracy with a constitutional monarchy. Tehran, the capital, became a flourishing cultural hub, rapidly absorbing Western influences while cherishing its own ancient history and culture.

However, when Prime Minister Mossadegh passed a parliamentary bill to nationalize the British-owned oil industry, Britain and the United States grew determined to remove the democratically-elected leader. Mossadegh was first briefly removed in 1952, but was swiftly reappointed due to a large-scale popular uprising. Another foreign-backed coup on August 19, 1953, successfully overthrew the Prime Minister, who spent the rest of his life under house arrest.

Iran continued to be ruled afterward in an increasingly autocratic manner by the last Pahlavi Shah, Mohammad Reza, who had acceded to the throne during WWII and cultivated close relationships with the Western Bloc. During the 1960s, the Shah instituted the “White Revolution,” which brought in sweeping resolutions involving issues such as economic reforms and granting more rights to women.