Buoyed by these economic successes, the shah became even more autocratic. He did away with the existing two political parties and replaced them with a single party, the Rastakhiz (Resurgence) party that became the instrument for coercion across the country – particularly of traders and the clergy. To intimidate the latter, an effort was made to dismantle the existing Shia hierarchy with a new set up that would be loyal to the shah. This was to be achieved through closer regulation of religious endowments, the setting up of a religious corps to send officially approved messages to the
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