SAVAK

k so im not all too knowledgeable about the context of the ousting, but ill try to make it work. up until around 1950, the uk had been getting a lot of oil from a company it founded called the "anglo-persian oil company". they sourced the oil in iran but it was mostly run by the british. also up until then iran was ruled by shahs, which were kings. so then in like 1951 mosadeggh was appointed as PM by the shah, and through a referendum succeeded in making the position of PM a powerful rather than simply figurehead one. he won that referendum in a landslide, and though he was technically appointed to the position, people consider him to be democratically elected since the referendum actually gave him power. one of the first things he did was nationalize the oil company since up until then it was pretty much exploitation. the british got mad that they finally took their own resources back, and asked the us to overthrow him almost immediately. the us refused under trumans admin, but when eisenhower came in, he said it would be fine for the cia to help the british. and thats just what they did. they strengthened the power of the shah and helped him form SAVAK, his secret police in exchange for the oil again. he got ousted in '79 during the revolution, hence the ultra-religious supreme leader. also, the company is whats now BP... sooo yea. imperialism at its finest, even though iran wasnt technically colonized.

@S Λ V Λ K#5320