Ahmad Reza Pahlavi; A member of Iran's Pahlavi dynasty

He also understood that to reach his ultimate objective he had to have complete control over a military force and that that required money. Able to levy some taxes, he built up the army with the proceeds and then used the army to collect more taxes, until finally he had gained control over the entire country. As war minister, he was the real power behind several prime ministers in succession until 1923, when he became prime minister himself.