On the Persian New Year, 21 March 1935, Reza Shah announced that he was formally changing the name of his country from 'Persia' to 'Iran'. He believed that Persia was too colonial, oriental and destructive.
In the minds of the people it was associated with the devastating debt accumulated by endless wars and the gross mismanagement of their predecessors, the Qajars. For them, 'Persia' spoke of the past, not the future.
Reza Shah was a passionate, visionary reformer...
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