In particular, Ataturk pursued a policy of nationalizing foreign-owned enterprises and revoking concessions that the Ottoman Empire had previously offered to foreign governments (Gelvin 201). Because the Ottoman Empire was never subject to widespread European colonization, Ataturk was gradually able to implement a policy of internal development without foreign invasion. Post-World War I Iran, on the other hand, was marked by Russian and British intervention. Therefore, the Iranian state under Reza Shah was determined to end the stranglehold of foreign control over the Iranian economy. Under the Shah, the state canceled foreign concessions, established a national bank to replace the British-run “Imperial Bank,” and took control of the foreign post, telegraph, and customs (Gelvin 205). Total economic sovereignty, however, was ultimately not achieved. British influence was still felt in its resilient control over the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, which drove the Iranian economy. As a result, Britain continued to manipulate control over the future of modern Iranian