28 photos show what Iran looked like before the 1979 revolution turned the nation into an Islamic republic

From 1941 to 1979, Iran was ruled by King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah.On February 11, 1979, the Islamic Revolution swept the country.The government was replaced with an Islamic republic, which continues to this day.In the decades before the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran was ruled by the Shah, whose dictatorship repressed dissent and restricted political freedoms.But he also pushed the country to adopt Western-oriented secular modernization, allowing some degree of cultural freedom.Under the Shah’s rule, Iran’s economy and educational opportunities expanded. Britain and the US counted Iran as their major ally in the Middle East, and the Shah forcefully industrialized large segments of the country.But the Shah’s increasingly authoritarian measures and his eventual dismissal of multiparty rule set the stage for the infamous revolution.Still, for a period of almost 40 years, the Shah led Iran through a series of sweeping changes.From 1941 to 1979, Iran was ruled by King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah.Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, his wife, Queen Fawzia, and the little Princess Shahnaz on the grounds of their palace near Tehran, Iran, in 1942.APDue to Iran’s large supply of oil, proximity to India, and shared border with the Soviet Union, Britain and the US fully backed the Iranian government.Sepah Square, the main square in Tehran, Iran, April 20, 1946.AP Photo/Tom FitzsimmonsHowever, even before the Islamic Revolution, the Shah’s grip on power was unsteady.This is the White Palace of the Shah of Iran at Saadabad, Tehran, as it looked in August 1953, after the government upheavals. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi returned to power on August 22, when his supporters ousted Premier Mohammed Mossadegh, who had forced the Shah to flee a few days earlier.APCommunists and religious members of society disliked the Shah and his pro-Western government.Cars and pedestrians travel on Ferdowsi Avenue in Tehran, Iran, April 20, 1946.AP Photo/Tom FitzsimmonsIn 1953, the Shah had to flee Iran after a Western-backed coup to overthrow Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh failed. A second coup succeeded in overthrowing Mosaddegh, who wanted to nationalize the Iranian oil industry to Britain’s chagrin, and the Shah returned to the country.Pedestrians and cars travel through the main intersection of Tehran, Iran, April 20, 1946. Lalezar Avenue runs up the center of the photo toward the north, while Istanbul Avenue runs left to right.AP Photo/Tom FitzsimmonsReza Shah undertook a series of reforms aimed at turning Iran into a modern westernized nation.Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia CommonsThese reforms included the structuring of Iran around a central Iranian identity, the often brutal suppression of tribes and their laws in exchange for a central government, and the expansion of women’s rights.Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia CommonsReza Shah attempted to make religious observation subservient to the state.Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia CommonsPart of Iran’s method of achieving this was through the banning of veils in public.Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia CommonsWomen were also encouraged to attend school and receive an education.Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia CommonsAlthough Reza Shah’s intentions were to turn Iran into a modern Westernized state, his bans on religious garments alienated and frustrated religious conservatives and traditionalists.Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia CommonsDespite the backlash from religiously observant members of society, the Shah managed to create a seemingly cosmopolitan city life.Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia CommonsWomen and men mixed freely, and educational opportunities were greatly extended. Western clothing and norms also became ingrained into large segments of the Iranian population.Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia CommonsLeading the charge for westernization was the Iranian royal family. Pictured below is Empress Soraya.Empress Soraya of Persia (Iran) poses in the studio of Italian fashion designer Emilio Schuberth, left, with an evening dress made of white Organdy as the designer adjusts some pleats of his dress in Rome, Italy, May 13, 1953.AP PhotoThe Shah and Soraya were married on February, 12 1951. Soraya wore a Christian Dior gown embroidered with 6,000 diamond pieces and 20,000 marabou feathers, according to Tatler.Soraya Isfandiari and the Shah of Iran are pictured after their wedding.Getty ImagesSource: TatlerSoraya and the Shah divorced in 1958 after failing to produce a heir. Soraya’s departure from the royal family was welcomed by some, who thought her German and Catholic background made her untrustworthy.Soraya and the Shah pictured in 1958.Getty ImagesSource: TatlerUnder the royal family’s invitations, Iran became a popular destination for celebrities and heads of state. Here, an Italian actor and her husband visit a sports competition as guests of Iranian Princess Ashraf.Italian actor Gina Lollobrigida and her husband Milko Skofic (both center) pose for a photographer with Iranian sportsmen at the ZurKhaneh (house of strength) stadium in Iran on May 20, 1963.AP PhotoThe Iranian royal family reciprocated and widely toured the world’s capitals. Here, the Shah and Soraya met with Winston Churchill in London.British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill poses with the Shah and Queen Soraya at his official London residence, 10 Downing Street, after they lunched with him there.AP PhotoIn 1959, the Shah married Farah Diba. They welcomed four children, though none would get the opportunity to become an heir because of the revolution.The Shah of Iran with his third wife, Empress Farah Diba, and their son Crown Prince Reza.Getty ImagesToward the end of the Shah’s reign, the royal family attempted to rally the country around an increasingly historic nationalism based on the preceding Persian empires.A street scene showing pedestrians on a sidewalk, June 16, 1970, Tehran, Iran.AP Photo/Roy EssoyanIn 1967, the Shah took the old Persian title “Shahanshah,” or King of Kings, at a coronation ceremony in Tehran.Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi crowned Empress Farah at their coronation ceremony in 1967.PD-IRANCelebrations funded by the government were also launched throughout the country to honor the Persian roots of Iran. Here, gymnasts take part in an October 16, 1975, celebration honoring the founding of the Persian Empire.General view of celebrations honoring the founding of the Persian Empire, Oct. 16, 1975. Persia is now Iran.AP Photo/Harry KoundakjianDespite Iran’s views of the past, the government continued to value education and child development.A street scene showing pedestrians threading their way between bumper-to-bumper traffic, June 16, 1970, Tehran, Iran.AP Photo/Roy EssoyanTehran funded study abroad in Europe for Iranians, and schools and clinics were built throughout the Iranian countryside to care for poorer children as part of the Shah’s “White Revolution.”A street scene showing pedestrians on a sidewalk, June 16, 1970, Tehran, Iran.AP Photo/Roy EssoyanHigh oil prices and relative stability in the Middle East contributed to a growing business class in major Iranian cities.A street scene showing pedestrians threading their way between bumper-to-bumper traffic, June 16, 1970, Tehran, Iran.AP Photo/Roy EssoyanHere, Iranians swim in an octagonal swimming pool at the guesthouse of the Iranian National Oil Company.An octagonal swimming pool at the guest house of the Iranian National Oil Company that provides relief when the temperatures rise above 100 degrees is seen near Ahwaz, Iran, July 1971. AP Photo/Horst FaasBy 1975, Reza Shah abolished Iran’s multiparty system and concentrated ever-greater amounts of power in his own hands under the government-permitted Rastakhiz (Resurrection) party.A view of Tehran, Iran, July 1971. AP Photo/Horst FaasBy January 16, 1979, Reza Shah fled Iran during the Iranian Revolution. The revolution started off as a popular movement fueled by outrage against government extravagance, corruption, brutality, and the suppression of individual rights before being taken over by Ayatollah Khomeini.Seen here are visitors at a vacation resort in Iran on the Caspian Sea, July 1971.AP Photo/Horst FaasRead the original article on Business Insider