The Persian Cossack Brigade provided Reza Khan not only with military training but also with political awareness. He witnessed firsthand the weakness of the Qajar state, the fragmentation of authority, and the pervasive influence of foreign powers—particularly Britain and Russia—over Iran’s internal affairs. These experiences deeply influenced his later determination to build a strong central state capable of defending Iran’s sovereignty.
The 1921 Coup and Rise to Power
By the early 1920s, Iran was in a state of profound crisis. The aftermath of World War I, economic collapse, tribal revolts, regional separatism, and foreign interference had reduced the authority of the central government to little more than Tehran and its immediate surroundings. Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Qajar monarch, was widely viewed as weak, indecisive, and detached from the country’s realities.
In February 1921, Reza Khan, then commander of the Persian Cossack Brigade stationed in Qazvin, marched his troops toward Tehran. The coup was swift and largely bloodless. Upon entering the capital, Reza Khan effectively seized control of the state apparatus. He forced the dissolution of the existing government and installed Seyyed Zia ol Din Tabatabaee as prime minister. Reza Khan himself assumed the positions of commander-in-chief of the armed forces and minister of war.
