Behind the Bastards – Part Two: The First Shah of Iran (March 26, 2026)

Podcast Overview

This episode, hosted by Robert Evans with guest physician and podcaster Kaveh Hoda, delves into the tumultuous rise of Reza Khan (later Reza Shah Pahlavi), the creation of modern Iran, and the role of brutal colonial powers and local strongmen in shaping Iran’s 20th-century fate. The discussion blends historical analysis with signature gallows humor, unpacking the complicated legacies of oil, empire, and autocracy.

Main Themes & Purpose

• Colonial interference and resource extraction: The episode explores how British and Russian imperialism, backed by oil hunger, set the stage for coups and the rise of strongmen in Persia.
• The ascent of Reza Khan: Chronicling Khan’s journey from illiterate Cossack stable boy to war minister and ultimately Shah, the show investigates both his cunning and brutality.
• Modernization at gunpoint: The hosts unpack how “reform” under Reza Shah—and the British—often meant violence, forced assimilation, and enduring trauma for Iran’s diverse peoples.
• Long shadows: They trace how Reza Shah’s actions laid groundwork for subsequent dictators, revolutions, and the complicated legacy of the Pahlavi dynasty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Colonial Context: Russia, Britain, and the Persian Chessboard

• After the Russian Revolution, Persia (modern Iran) becomes a battleground where Britain seeks to protect oil interests and block Bolshevik advances ([05:22]).
• Britain and White Russian forces “see Persia as a great springboard” to support the anti-Bolshevik White Army in Russia ([05:22]).
• The Persian central government under the Quajar Shahs is impotent, failing to control the military or territory; local tribal leaders wield real power ([06:30]–[12:41]).
• Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC, later BP) sidesteps the Persian government, striking direct deals with tribal khans, building its own segregated company towns, and importing Indian laborers without any oversight ([12:11]–[13:15]).

“They never looked at Persians as real people... This colonial mindset never goes away.”
– Kaveh Hoda ([13:06])

2. Humiliation, Resistance, and British Manipulation

• Stories of direct affront: British oil executives refuse to even hire Persians for skilled positions and introduce segregated fountains “not for Iranians” ([14:29]).
• “Everything is for the oil. None of this is for the benefit of regular Persians.”

– Robert Evans ([17:07])

• The British government, desperate to secure oil and reduce the cost of occupation, issues loans to Persia that are paid back through direct taxation, fueling intense local resentment ([18:19]).
• Secret treaties between Russia and Britain, revealed by the Bolsheviks, further inflame Persian suspicions that they are pawns sold “for a song” ([18:50]).

3. The Rise of Machine Gun Reza

• During the political chaos, Reza Khan, a Cossack officer, comes to the attention of British Field Marshal Ironside, who greenlights his bid for a coup as long as the puppet Shah stays on the throne ([30:29]).
• Reza Khan expertly “charms every British guy he meets,” leveraging social intelligence to collect power despite his lack of formal education ([25:13], [26:07]).
• The hosts compare his crude but effective style to modern power brokers like Donald Trump: “He’s incredibly intelligent socially... And that’s all that matters in Persian politics at this point in time.”

– Robert Evans ([25:13]–[26:07])

• Reza Khan leads a 600-strong column to seize Tehran, encountering little resistance—depicted both as bold opportunism and as a British-backed maneuver ([31:29]).

4. Nation-Building, Branding, and Brutality

• After a series of consolidations and political maneuvering, Reza becomes war minister, then prime minister, before finally engineering his own coronation as Shah ([39:26]).
• Reza Shah chooses the surname “Pahlavi,” invoking ancient Persian glory in a “very clever public relations stunt” ([42:10], [43:23]).
• The British plan the Shah’s coronation, modeling it on the coronation of King George V; scenes are described of “heaps of uncut emeralds... uniforms sewn with diamonds... two crowns like great heretic tiaras” while the country still reeled from a devastating famine ([47:43]).

“We plunged our hands up to the wrist in the heaps of uncut emeralds and let the pearls run through our fingers. We forgot the Persia of today.”
– Robert quoting Vita Sackville-West ([49:54])

5. Reza Shah’s Rule: Modernization, Ethnic Cleansing, and State Violence

• During his reign, Reza Shah embarks on forced “modernization”: bans on traditional dress, severe press restrictions, construction of state institutions, and cult of personality ([57:12]).
• Women are banned from wearing traditional clothing, “beaten and even taken into custody” if they fail to adopt Western dress ([57:12]–[58:34]).
• Reza’s drive for unitary power leads to ethnic cleansing of minority groups such as the Lur people (graphic accounts of mass executions and atrocities, [54:10]).
• Allies and political rivals are systematically eliminated—often “murdered humiliatingly at his behest” ([61:20]).

6. Foreign Policy and Downfall

• Reza Shah’s resentment at British control over Iranian oil grows, but his efforts to play the Germans against the British and Soviets backfire ([66:14]).
• By World War II, Reza Shah is so enamored of Germany that nearly half of Iran’s trade is with the Nazi Reich; he is forced to abdicate when Allies invade to secure supply lines ([67:44]–[69:39]).
• The Shah abdicates in bitter defeat, dying in South African exile, while his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi is enthroned—a harbinger of the next era of turmoil ([69:39]–[71:20]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Colonial Attitude:
  “They never looked at Persians as real people... That colonial mindset never goes away.”
  – Kaveh Hoda ([13:06])
• On Reza’s Social Intelligence:
  “He is very good at making every British guy he meets love him. And that’s all that matters in Persian politics at this point in time.”
  – Robert Evans ([26:07])
• On Persians and Punctuality:
  “He’s accused, often angrily, of bringing the concept of punctuality to Persia—that like Iranians didn’t give a shit what time it was before Reza.”
  – Robert Evans ([51:14])
• On Modernization by Force:
  “If they did not do so [give up traditional dress], they were beaten and even taken into custody... Many women stopped going to public places to avoid harassment and became involuntary prisoners within their own homes.”
  – Robert reading Alavi and Singh ([57:12])
• Ethnic Cleansing Atrocity:
  “The colonel started betting on how far these headless men could run. Every man, woman and child had been killed. Not a living soul was left.”
  – Quoting William Douglas ([54:10])
• On the Shah’s Branding:
  “Pahlavi was great branding… Changing the name… Good at branding, especially the father.”
  – Kaveh Hoda ([43:23])
• On Oil Company Transformation:
  “APOC … will eventually be renamed … British Petroleum. That’s right, baby. These motherfuckers. They were always evil.”
  – Robert Evans ([65:19]–[65:45])

Noteworthy Timestamps

• [05:22]: Background on post-WWI Persia: British and Russian intervention, Cossacks’ shifting role.
• [12:11]: Segregation and exploitation by Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
• [16:58]: Introduction and rise of Reza Khan, “Machine Gun Reza.”
• [26:07]: Robert’s analogy of social intelligence, power, and authoritarianism.
• [31:29]: British non-intervention as Reza stages his coup.
• [39:26]: Reza accumulates near-total power, reluctant monarchy.
• [47:43]: British-planned coronation, opulence amid famine.
• [54:10]: Atrocities and ethnic cleansing against the Lur people.
• [57:12]: Forced modernization, bans on traditional dress.
• [65:19]: The rebranding of APOC to BP and continuation of resource exploitation.
• [67:44]–[69:39]: Reza Shah’s miscalculation with Germany, abdication, and death in exile.

Tone & Style

The episode features irreverent yet incisive commentary—mixing dark humor with clear moral outrage. Key moments of levity come from the hosts’ banter about British names (“Tiny Ironside?”), Persian cultural quirks (“My people’s eyebrow game has been strong forever”—[34:34]), and personal asides about diaspora experiences.

Conclusion & Takeaways

Reza Shah’s regime, born of colonial intrigue and domestic brutality, left an indelible scar on Iran: forced “modernization,” the seeds of revolution, and the entrenchment of autocracy. The British, for their part, come out not only as kingmakers but as relentless exploiters whose legacy still lingers (BP!). As the episode closes, the hosts tease future explorations of the Pahlavi dynasty’s next, infamous act.

For More

• Guest: Dr. Kaveh Hoda’s podcast, “House of Pod,” explores the intersection of medicine and culture with humor ([71:33]).
• Further episodes: The show will continue charting the lineage, with future installments about Mohammad Reza Shah and Mossadegh.

Behind the Bastards: Unmasking tyrants, one revolting bastard at a time.