The Rise and Fall of the Shah of Iran

Rise
Initially little more than a puppet of the allies, the Shah's hold on power was challenged in the early 1950's, when an Iranian aristocrat, Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh was chosen as Prime Minister. A 1953 coup in support of Pahlavi — backed by the Americans and British — failed and the Shah was forced to flee. But after a second plot staged a few days later succeeded, Pahlavi was allowed to return to power. In this classic Life photo, he steps off the plane that brought him back to Iran from Rome.

• Faces of Iran