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In this paper the reign of Reza shah and the impact of his
policies on the role of religion and the ulama in Iranian politics



are discussed. The era (1f Reza Shah lasted from 1920 to 1941
during which time he systematically tried to decrease and eventually eliminate the influnce of religion and the role of the ulama in Iranian social and political life In this paper, first we look at Reza Shah's military and administrative reforms and
explain how these reforms resulted in a strong central government. He used this centralized structure to implement
reforms in areas where the ulama had enjoyed enormous amounts of power and to violent ly crush any opposition to his rule and
reform policies. Particular attention is given to reform of judicial
system, the educational system, and the administration of vagf (inalienable endowments) and the effect of such reforms on the ulama's power. This paper concludes that as a result of Reza Shah's reform policies and his other anti-religion policies, the
ulama lost a great deal c f power.