Iran's SAVAK & Mohammad Reza Shah

Secret Police

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 Drilling Rig. https://energyhq.com/2017/02/evolution-of-a-drilling-rig/

Australian Dictionary of Biography. William Knox D'Arcy (1849–1917) by David Carment. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/darcy-william-knox-5882

Great British Pound inflation calculator. Bank of England. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator

1941 Invasion of Iran - Regime Change WWII-Style. Mark Felton Productions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-McQMJvaZbk

The Persian Coup 1921 And The British Thirst For Oil. The Great War. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX3V9wgOTOA&t=82s

The French Mandate. https://www.britannica.com/place/Syria/The-French-mandate

The Shah by Abbas Milani. January 2011.

History of Iran. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Iran Chamber Society. https://www.iranchamber.com/history/mohammad_rezashah/mohammad_rezashah.php

Anderson, Jack; Les Whitten (11 July 1975). "CIA: Shah of Iran a dangerous ally". St. Petersburg Times. Washington. Retrieved 16 July 2013.

Operation Ajax: CIA Oil Coup in Iran - COLD WAR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbEKMMtfujc&ab_channel=TheColdWar

Oil Profit distribution. All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror by Stephen Kinzer. 2003.

Operation Ajax | TAKEN HOSTAGE | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | PBS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xceDBZeolIM&ab_channel=AmericanExperience%7CPBS

Manticore Mythology. Paleothea by Alilia Athena. https://paleothea.com/mythical-creatures/manticore-mythology/

Tortured Confessions by Ervand Abrahamian. 1999.

The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East by Robert Fisk. 2005.

Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński. 1982.

Censorship. https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/censorship-sansur-in-persia

White Revolution. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/White-Revolution
The Unthinkable Revolution by Charles Kurzman. 2004.

The Mystery Letter That Triggered The Iranian Revolution. Radio Farda. https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-taheri-on-iranian-revolution-mystery-letter-shah/29754850.html

A message to the friends of the Iranian people across the Middle East. Reza Pahlavi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64L7DUi9jo&ab_channel=RezaPahlavi

2500-year celebration of the Persian Empire. Persepolis, Iran. October 1971. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VSaqhXuV7Q&ab_channel=CultureTube

The New American Bible. Saint Joseph Edition. The Book of Ezra Chapter 1 verses 1-4. July 1970.

Islamic Revolution International Center. http://iricenter.org/

Note: The Recap section was written with the assistance of ChatGPT-4.

Music:

Scorching Action by Jonathan Margrove

Blood Kiss by Hainbach - Topics

Kalahari Wind by Humans Win

Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

Eye Of The Storm (Feat. Cicely Parnas) - Instrumental Version

Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory