country and sought to Westernize it. In 1935, he proclaimed
that Persia was to be known as Iran. The word commemorates
the Aryans, a nomadic people who roamed the region as early
as four thousand years ago. (The word Persia, by contrast, had
derived from a Greek place name, Parsa.) Pahlavi changed
the name because he wanted his land to be recognized not
for its humiliating period of control by outsiders, but for its
independence and for its potential to be an important nation
of the twentieth century.
Pahlavi knew the ulema would oppose his policies of
modernization. To accomplish what he wanted would require
cooperation with industrial nations—the West. It also would
require adapting certain Western-style institutions, such as
secular (nonreligious) courts, and making changes in educa-
tion. This would erode much of the power the ulema had
established for themselves as judges and teachers. They were
sure to resist.
By the beginning of World War II in 1939, the shah had
achieved national improvements, notably in the Iranian
transportation system. The new Trans-Iranian Railway was
something of a monument to his progressive ideas. He also
was nurturing industrial development and improvements
in education, including six years of required instruction
for girls as well as boys, and new schools and colleges. A
seemingly minor change—but one that symbolized the
coming struggle between the government and Islam—was
his abolition of the requirement that women veil their faces
in public, as was customary among Muslims. This type of
modernization alarmed devout Shiites, who complained that
the law of Islam was being cast aside. They accused the shah
of ruining their religious heritage. Most of their protests
were peaceful, but when the shah sensed that some of the
ulema and their supporters were becoming aggressive, he
responded forcefully. Demonstrators were beaten and jailed.
Some were even killed by soldiers who were sent to disperse
the protests.
The “Land Between East and West” 15