The Shah was no more brutal to his enemies than were Castro, Allende and many other darlings of the Left.

The Shah succeeded his father in 1941. He was not "installed by the CIA" in 1953 as is commonly said here on Mudcat.

Fact is, The Shah of Iran had real Communist Idealogues, Stalinist Russia, organized crime, student Liberals, and Islamic fundamentalist fanatics, and a large number of personal enemies to fight, all at the same time. When you combine that with his terminal prostate cancer and Jimmy Carter's demand that Khomeini be installed a Iran's official religious leader, The Shah had no chance.