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For the next 26 years the Shah Reza Pahlavi would repeatedly replace the prime minister to ineffectively subdue the public's resentment towards the rapid modernization of the country, supported primarily by the U.S. The Shah has historically been the name given to the emperor of Iran and has followed the line of Persian kings since the Achaemenid Period with Cyrus the Great, the great unifier of the Persian empire. Since the early 20th century the Shah has held little power in decision-making but rather until the late 80s Iran utilized prime ministers as heads of state. Today, they use the president elected through direct democracy, even though the Supreme Leader has handpicked the available candidates. .
During this era the majority of the Iranian people became fairly antagonistic towards American influence in their country, this lead to a variety of Islamist fundamentalist movements emerging during the 1960's and 1970's. The most influential of these was the Coalition of Islamic Societies, a network of Shi'a clerics, lead by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini was a marja, which means he was the highest interpreter of religious law in Twelver Shia Islam. Twelver Shia Islam is not only the largest group of Shia Muslims but also a very conservative sect of Islam. Khomenei spent more than 15 years in exile in Paris for his opposition to the previous Shah. He stated that the Shah was compromising Iran's rich cultural identity and creating a growing rift between the traditional and modern sectors of society. .
Countless protests took place all across the country in the late 1970's, which ultimately forced the Shah to reluctantly flee the country. A new government was installed, lead by the National Front leader Shahpour Bakhtiar. The Shah would never return again and would typify the beginning of the current state of Iran. Bakhtiar soon allowed Khomenei to return to Iran from exile in Paris, which would later become a grave mistake on his part.
