The Army and Creation of the Pahlavi State in Iran, 1921-1926

by Stephanie Cronin

In 1921 Riza Khan, a colonel in the Iranian Cossack Brigade, rode on Tehran and, in a military coup that was to change Iran's destiny, took power. Appropriating the state-building objectives of Iranian constitutionalism and nationalism, Riza Khan embarked on the task of constructing a strong, modern centralized state at the heart of which lay a new national army. Ruthless and cunning, he used the emergent military and political institutions to crush both civilian and military opposition, and in 1926 crowned himself Shah of Iran.

But in the construction of his army Riza Khan relied upon the material bequeathed to him by the reform efforts of the late-19th century and, more particularly, by the constitutional revolution. This text discusses in detail the way in which the modern Iranian army was created, and places the rise of Riza Shah in its historical context. It also outlines the military roots of monarchical dictatorship in Iran.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 1997

Reviews

[Samin Rb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The literature about the establishment of Pahlavi regime and the modern Iranian sate-building keeps suggesting how the army was crucial and prioritized for the Pahlavis. Abrarahamian, Foran, Katouzian, all and all say so. But it's Cronin who by her pioneering work makes sense out of a recurring statement.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

In 1921 Reza Khan, a colonel in the Iranian Cossack Brigade, rode on Tehran and, in a military coup that was to change Iran's destiny, took power. Appropriating the state-building objectives of Iranian constitutionalism and nationalism, Reza Khan embarked on the task of constructing a strong, modern centralized state at the heart of which lay a new national army. Ruthless and cunning, he used the emergent military and political institutions to crush both civilian and military opposition, and in 1926 crowned himself Shah of Iran.