Iran's SAVAK & Mohammad Reza Shah

In 1921, Reza Khan rose to power with the help of the British government. He led a modernization of Persia, insisting the international community refer to his country as Iran. His son, Mohammad Reza Shah, inherited the throne in 1941.

The Shah expanded his authority using a violent secret police force called SAVAK. They terrorized the Iranian people and preyed on Iranians abroad. They helped enforced the Shah's rule, even as his White Revolution displaced rural communities and alienated Shia clergy. Decades-long economic exploitation and authoritarian repression ignited a series of phases leading to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

 

Substack: Secret Police Podcast

YouTube: Secret Police Podcast

Instagram: @secretpolicepodcast

X/Twitter: @hush_popo

 

Sources:

 

1979 Iranian Revolution, Explained | Last Persian Shah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXlHxrBJoik&ab_channel=Timeline-WorldHistoryDocumentaries 

 

Geography Now! Iran. Geography Now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xQM4Zy5zIk&ab_channel=GeographyNow 

 

Top pistachio producing countries

https://nazari-pistachio.com/articles/top-pistachio-producers/#:~:text=The%20US%2C%20Iran%2C%20and%20Turkey,respectively%20in%20the%20market%20share. 

 

Top Saffron Producer Countries. https://agromedbotanic.com/saffron-producer-countries/

 

A Super Quick History of Iran. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sTf1FIxnJs&ab_channel=MrHistory 

 

The Background of Human Rights. https://www.youthforhumanrights.org/course/lesson/background-of-human-rights/the-background-of-human-rights.html 

 

Zoroastrianism Explained. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl9QgeHdKYk&ab_channel=Cogito 

 

Shia-Sunni split:

Shia and Sunni: Understanding different Muslim interpretations

https://the.ismaili/global/news/features/shia-and-sunni-understanding-different-muslim-interpretations 

 

Muslim Schism: How Islam Split into the Sunni and Shia Branches. Kings & Generals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-85dXjgMiSU&ab_channel=KingsandGenerals 

 

Muslim Populations

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/ 

THE FUTURE OF WORLD RELIGIONS: POPULATION GROWTH PROJECTIONS, 2010-2050 Appendix C: Defining the Religious Groups (DM me if you want the PDF).

 

Fath-Ali Shah’s descendants. Joseph M. Upton, The History of Modern Iran: An Interpretation. Contributors: – Author. Publisher: Harvard University Press. Place of publication: Cambridge, 1960, p.4 

 

The history of the oil and gas industry from 347 AD to today. Umar Ali. https://www.offshore-technology.com/comment/history-oil-gas/?cf-view 

 

Evolution of a D