of the post World War II Third World. He had considerable popular support in Iran, but that was not to prove sufficient. As has become well known, Mosaddegh was actually overthrown by the CIA, which supported an army coup that restored the shah to power (Miller, 1996). Clearly this was an act that endeared the Americans to the shah of Iran. It was not until the end of his life that this connection was to seriously betray him.
The shah followed his restoration by engaging in massive activity of economic growth. Iran's growth was fueled by its oil reserves and by its strategic engagement in international politics. The shah proved to be quite adept in gaining support and in ensuring development dollars provided visible rewards for his country. In general, he followed the Western route to development, concentrating on the development of infrastructure, such as roads, dams, railroads, and power plants (Miller, 1996).
He also early involved himself in progressive efforts, including land reform and allowing women the right to vote. The land reform law that the shah campaigned for took land from large landholders, including the clergy, in order to redistribute it to the people. That was a major blow to the Islamic jurists, of whom Khomeini was an increasingly important leader. Khomeini actually came to public attention at this time, and was to remain a leader in exile until his return for the Islamic revolution (Mottahedeh, 1985).
Despite his failings, the shah did lead a long, strong economic revival for the country. The period from 1964 through 1974 was the most successful period of Iranian growth and development, with the economy growing by over 10 percent per year, little inflation, and an explosion of oil revenue. The focus on creating infrastructure led the shah to assert that the country would be in a strong position even after the end of the oil revenues, because it would be technologically advanced and well educa...