Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (born October 26, 1919, Tehrān, Iran—died July 27, 1980, Cairo, Egypt) was the shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979, who maintained a pro-Western foreign policy and fostered economic development in Iran. Mohammad Reza was the eldest son of Reza Shah Pahlavi, an army officer who became the ruler of Iran and founder of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1925. Mohammad Reza was educated in Switzerland and returned to Iran in 1935. In 1941 the Soviet Union and Great Britain, fearing that the shah would cooperate with Nazi Germany to rid himself of their tutelage, occupied Iran and forced Reza Shah into exile.
