Great Britain and Reza Shah: The Plunder of Iran, 1921-1941
Book Review -- Peyvand News
29-Jul-2008 (14 comments)

Using recently declassified U.S. State Department archives, Mohammad Gholi Majd describes the rampant tyranny and destruction of Iran in the decades between the two world wars in a sensational yet thoroughly scholarly study that will rewrite the political and economic history of the country.

 

The book begins with the British invasion of Iran in April 1918 and ends with the Anglo-Russian invasion in August 1941. Though historians are aware of the events that ensued, until now they have had no written evidence of the dreadful magnitude of the activities. Majd documents how the British brought to power an obscure and semi-illiterate military officer, Reza Khan, who was made shah in 1925.

 

Thereafter, Majd shows, Iran was subjected to a level of brutality not seen for centuries. He also documents the financial plunder of the country during the period: records show that Reza Shah looted the bulk of Iran's oil revenues on the pretext of buying arms, amassing at least $100 million in his London bank accounts and huge sums in New York and Switzerland. Not even Iran's ancient crown jewels were spared.

 

In contrast to incomplete and unreliable British records for the period, the recently declassified archives and bank records that Majd uses encompass a wide range of political, social, military, and economic matters. A work with immense implications, this book will correct the myth in Iranian history that the pe... >>>

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Darius Kadivar

To Last Minute Patriots of the Day ...

by Darius Kadivar on Thu Jul 31, 2008 05:08 AM PDT

mostaghel, Shiny Head,constitutionalist2 and Q, 

There is a French proverb Quite Fit for you guys.

"au royaume des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois"

aka

"In the Kingdom of Blind People, One Eyed People are King"

This is the Same Junk mentality that Got the Nazi's to Power in Germany back in the 1930's and quite democratically. University Professors like these are a disgrace to their profession and to Humanity.

Best,

DK

 

 


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Q

Wow, this book must be really popular, everyone has read it

by Q on Wed Jul 30, 2008 06:45 PM PDT

already.

Kadivar you are a fast reader, as is Jasmine. I wonder if you can quote exact passages to support your claims of false statements?

Is it possible that the Pahlavi regime was the one that committed the historical revisionism just like so many other false narratives that they provided during their dictatorial raign?


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soufi

Re: Dishonest Historical Revisionism (To: KADIVAR)

by soufi on Wed Jul 30, 2008 07:22 PM PDT

Kadivar: 

Why don't you challenge by page and verse and bring counter-evidence, instead of blowing your horn? The author according to the review posted here claims he digged the info out of US archives. What is your challenge? Do you have evidencd to show otherwise? And why are you attacking a university professor? First you dis-resepct him you call him "iranian university teacher". Iranian university profs are among the best  in US. What do you have against them? Are you one of those college drop outs who has to moan and cry whenever he hears the word "university"? What is wrong with you?  Or are you one those right-wingers who is afraid to find out something different from what he believes?

 

Soufi


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default

Re: Shiny Head (To: Anonymous4now )

by ./. (not verified) on Wed Jul 30, 2008 04:22 PM PDT

why are you attacking the poster of the news? Are you a baby who is only used to a limited environment around him/her and cannot handle the bigger world?
I leave shiny to respond him/herself, but you are being rediculus.

A/B


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default

Power corrupts!

by ali rea (not verified) on Wed Jul 30, 2008 03:50 PM PDT

Pahlavi dynasty or current regime or whoever else comes to power is going to plunder the wealth of the country.Taking or giving bribes is also in our culture.Other countries know that too and that is why Rafsanjani's son was caught tooking bribes from some company in Europe to have Iran sign a contract with them.


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mostaghel

Re: Re: Dishonest Historical Revisionism

by mostaghel on Wed Jul 30, 2008 03:47 PM PDT

Agha Dariush

Don't blindly follow or fall in love. BRAIN is the best gift from GOD. Use it.

 

thanks...


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Anonymous4now

Shiny Head

by Anonymous4now on Wed Jul 30, 2008 02:44 PM PDT

It would do you a world of good to read a lot more diverse to be able to decipher for yourself fact from fiction.  I posted this blog on Iranian.com (//iranian.com/main/node/35332).  It would be a good start for you. 


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granted

by constitutionalist2 (not verified) on Wed Jul 30, 2008 01:14 AM PDT

we all know the Pahlavis stole as much as they could, but it doesn't even compare to what the Mullahs have done.

Iran is making over $100 billion annually just from oil now. Where's all that money going?
Try halliburton.

Stop attacking the messenger you dead brain right wing royal trash. Read!!!!!


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Darius Kadivar

The Empire Strikes Back ;0)

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:44 AM PDT

Reza Khan Generation Answers you Back. Up Yours:

LOL


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Darius Kadivar

Re: Dishonest Historical Revisionism

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:54 PM PDT

I don't need to read this trash not to know that he is a hoax. These Iranian University teachers precisely were those trying to claim that Reza Shah was even responsible for the Holocaust to such newspapers as the San Francisco Chronicle or the New York Times. Abbas Milani a respected Historian and not particularly a supporter of the Pahlavi's even responded to these stupid articles and their unreliable sources.

This Guy belongs to the same lot of phoney heads turned professor who develop their theories just for sake of maintaining their university credentials as "experts" on Iran.

You can make documents say "anything" through interpretation. Apart from being at best an intellectual exercise that anyone can have fun building "theories" of "If's" and "nots" it is nothing but trash.

Our contemporary history has been a hostage to these pseudo historians and unreliable academics since the Revolution of 1979. Many of these guys were supporters of the Revolution and now live in exile and are trying the justify their own failures and lack of vision in predicting what happened at the time.

Now they have become "experts". This is the same lot who systematically accuse everyone who is critical of the ISlamic Revolution of being die hard monarchists or undemocratic. Look at the way they tried unsuccessfully to bash Azar Nafisi with "Reading Lolita in Tehran" ...

I'm really fed up with all these so called charlatans for they are nothing but "Bazari" Minded charlatans best at selling "noonoh o Panir" than offering an objective look at anything on that Era or even the Islamic Revolution.

Who said we need to look at History be it contemporary or past with tainted rosey glasses ? They think they are writing history for kindergarten kids telling them who is "good" and who is "bad" so be careful.

History is about understanding not judging. That is why it often takes a generation 30 years to come up with some serious research on any given era so that people can take a look at events with less passion and more objectivity 60 or 70 years after the events.

These are people who are either too stubborn or ignorant and hardly honest just as those who lets say today systematically critisize Khatami denying that he did do some positive things during his tenure as President of Iran and opened the frontiers and made efforts in opening Iran to the international community. I wouldn't compare Khatami to Khalkhali or even Khomeiny even if he may be supportive of the system they created.

We  Iranians have been so much brainwashed or simply uninformed as far as the young generation is concerned or even the generation who did the revolution and ran away and never bothered to self criticize themselves or their generation and suddenly think that history is like the Rabbit in the Hat of a Magician: "Look Here is the Answer !"  and they swallow it like Fish.

Enough is Enough with these Holocaust Deniers and pseudo experts on the Islamic Republic payroll.

Shiny Head You are Masgareh like all the IRI supporters on this website who sign up to propagate and support all these extravagant theories now that they can do so anonymously or with a pseudo.

Oh and if you Shiny Head want to accuse me of being part of the 75 Million $ club, well let me tell you if I were, I would do a better job than all those trashy LA TV's run by the same type pseudo "experts".

Our History has become hostage of Bazari type personalities who think that Tabas Earthquake was the fault of the  SAVAK and the Bam Earthquake was the fault of the SAVAMA !

GROW UP !

 


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default

Hamesh zire sare Engelisias!

by ali reza (not verified) on Tue Jul 29, 2008 06:05 PM PDT

The Reza Shah or his son did not come to power if they did not serve British interests.They had to support her interests constantly or they their time was up.I remember watching Daee Jan Napelon in Iran.This TV serial was blaming British for every ill thing.This was one of the things that British did not like.Perhaps they thought he was becoming rebelious,and that was the beginning of the end of his regime. .


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mostaghel

Re: Dishonest Historical Revisionism

by mostaghel on Tue Jul 29, 2008 03:03 PM PDT

Agha Dariush,

I guess you will have to buy the book and "READ IT" so you know his sources. He claims they are from de-classified US government documents. US government in the past was a trustable entity as far as records and docs are concerned (before W became a "King"). . Nowadays, it is anyboday's guess.

Furthermore, the author seems to be a university professor in Flordia. What does he have to gain or lose to lie by changing history? Hopefully he is not a Zio-nazi type who  try to change things to their advantage without historical proofs.

 

regards..


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faryarm

What "Bank records"?

by faryarm on Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:28 AM PDT

I would like to see the uncovered state dept evience...if any;  against Reza Shah...

 


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Darius Kadivar

Dishonest Historical Revisionism

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Jul 29, 2008 02:57 PM PDT

I'm Fed up with all this dishonest ANN TELECTUALS. Apart from any serious and balanced approach that would be the case for any historical era, the Pahlavi era has been the subject to SOOOOO MUCH lies, rumours and dishonest historical analysis that makes me want to Throw Up.

Another BullShit Intellectual diaharia to feed illiterate masses and young  people in Iran with no serious historical background in 30 years living under the most disastrous regime Iran has known in its entire history.

I won't be surprised to learn one day our compatriots hail Ahmadinejad as the New  "Mossadegh of Iran". What Bullshit they can push down our mouth and we gobble it each time without reacting to such baseless attacks on the Shah's Era.

Khejalat Nameekesheed ?

CHEGADRE DOROOGH ? TA KEY FASCISTHAYEH ISLAMI !

 


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