The title of Shah was born with the beginnings of the Pahlavi Dynasty in 1877, after acquiring command of a large force of Cossacks, Pahlavi expelled the Soviet troops and went through a coup d'etat against the current ruler, Ahmad Shah, to secure the country. (PAHLAVI, Riza Shah) By choosing the title of "Shah" to be the ruler's title, he sought to emanate Cyrus II the Great, who ruled Persia from 559 BC to 529 BC. (Shah Definition) The most recent Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was deposed in 1979 after a successful revolution headed by Ayatollah Khomeini. He had a very progressive stance and made many efforts to Westernize the nation of Iran. (PAHLAVI, Riza Shah)
