The Rise and Fall of the Shah of Iran

Ruler
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi officially ruled Iran from 1941 to 1979. He came to power after his father was forced to abdicate the throne by the Allied powers, who hoped to develop greater influence in the region through his son. The Shah, posed here in a Life Magazine wedding portrait with his second wife, Queen Soraya, enjoyed almost three decades of unlimited rule.

• Faces of Iran