The 1919 Anglo-Persian Agreement made every Persian government that followed unviable. Britain wanted Iran to be a colony, but couldn’t find a viable collaborator in the Qajjar Shahs or the Majlis. So, in 1921, they used one of their favorite moves: they organized a coup to overthrow a government they had installed and supported. The coup was run by the only viable military force in available: the Cossacks. And one Cossack commander in particular rose to prominence in the process: Reza Khan, who in a few years will change his name to something more familiar…
