In the decades before the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran was ruled by the Shah, whose dictatorship repressed dissent and restricted political freedoms.

But he also pushed the country to adopt Western-oriented secular modernization, allowing some degree of cultural freedom.

[Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, his wife, Queen Fawzia, and the little Princess Shahnaz on the grounds of their palace near Tehran, Iran, in 1942. AP]

From 1941 to 1979, Iran was ruled by King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah.

Under the Shah's rule, Iran's economy and educational opportunities expanded. Britain and the US counted Iran as their major ally in the Middle East, and the Shah forcefully industrialized large segments of the country.

But the Shah's increasingly authoritarian measures and his eventual dismissal of multiparty rule set the stage for the infamous revolution.

[Sepah Square, the main square in Tehran, Iran, April 20, 1946. Tom Fitzsimmons/AP]

Due to Iran's large supply of oil, proximity to India, and shared border with the Soviet Union, Britain and the US fully backed the Iranian government.

However, even before the Islamic Revolution, the Shah's grip on power was unsteady.

[Cars and pedestrians travel on Ferdowsi Avenue in Tehran, Iran, April 20, 1946. Tom Fitzsimmons/AP]

Communists and religious members of society disliked the Shah and his pro-Western government.

In 1953, the Shah had to flee Iran after a Western-backed coup to overthrow Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh failed. A second coup succeeded in overthrowing Mosaddegh, who wanted to nationalize the Iranian oil industry to Britain's chagrin, and the Shah returned to the country.

[Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia Commons]

Reza Shah undertook a series of reforms aimed at turning Iran into a modern westernized nation.

These reforms included the structuring of Iran around a central Iranian identity, the often brutal suppression of tribes and their laws in exchange for a central government, and the expansion of women's rights.

[Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia Commons]

Part of Iran's method of achieving this was through the banning of veils in public. Women were also encouraged to attend school and receive an education.

[Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia Commons]

Although Reza Shah's intentions were to turn Iran into a modern Westernized state, his bans on religious garments alienated and frustrated religious conservatives and traditionalists.

[Nevit Dilmen/Wikimedia Commons]

Despite the backlash from religiously observant members of society, the Shah managed to create a seemingly cosmopolitan city life.

[Empress Soraya of Persia (Iran) poses in the studio of Italian fashion designer Emilio Schuberth, left, with an evening dress in Rome, Italy, May 13, 1953. AP Photo]

Leading the charge for westernization was the Iranian royal family. Pictured below is Empress Soraya.

The Shah and Soraya were married on February, 12 1951. Soraya wore a Christian Dior gown embroidered with 6,000 diamond pieces and 20,000 marabou feathers, according to Tatler.

[**Italian actor Gina Lollobrigida and her husband Milko Skofic (both center) pose for a photographer with Iranian sportsmen at the ZurKhaneh (house of strength) stadium in Iran on May 20, 1963. AP Photo]

Under the royal family's invitations, Iran became a popular destination for celebrities and heads of state. Here, an Italian actor and her husband visit a sports competition as guests of Iranian Princess Ashraf.

[A street scene showing pedestrians on a sidewalk, June 16, 1970, Tehran, Iran. Roy Essoyan/AP Photo]

Toward the end of the Shah's reign, the royal family attempted to rally the country around an increasingly historic nationalism based on the preceding Persian empires.

To see more photos of Iran before the Islamic Revolution, head to Business Insider.

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