Publisher’s Note : Though his monarchy was toppled in 1979 and he died in 1980, the life of Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlevi, the last Shah of Iran, continues to resonate today. Here, internationallyrespected author Abbas Milani gives us the definitive biography, more than ten years in the making, of the monarch who shaped Iran’s modern age and with it the contemporary politics of the Middle East. The Shah’s was a life filled with contradiction—as a social reformer he built schools, increased equality for women, and greatly reduced the power of the Shia clergy. He made Iran a global power, courting Western leaders from Churchill to Carter, and nationalized his country’s many natural resources. But he was deeply conflicted and insecure in his powerful role. Intolerant of political dissent, he was eventually overthrown by the very people whose loyalty he so desperately sought. This comprehensive and gripping account shows us how Iran went from politicallymoderate monarchy to totalitarian Islamic republic. Milani reveals the complex and sweeping road that would bring the U.S. and Iran to where they are today.
About the Author:
Abbas Milani is a historian and author. He is the Director of IranianStudies at Stanford University and co-director of the Iran Democracy Project atthe Hoover Institution. Milani has written for publications including The NewYork Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes and has appeared on CNN, theBBC, and NPR, among others. A member of the board of directors of the IranianStudies Group at MIT, the San Francisco Chronicle has said that “Milanihas the ear of Washington insiders.” He lives in California.
Praise for Tales of Two Cities:A Persian Memoir
“A consistently dramatic andmoving memoir.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“An exceptional, emotionallyblooded memoir. . . . a breathtaking example of the quiet, selflessgorgeousness of the memorist’s art.” —Kirkus Reviews
Praise for The Persian Sphinx
“In thisbeautifully written biography of Hoveyda, Abbas Milani provides us with asuperb analysis of Iran and its poorly understood revolution.”–MiddleEast Journal, James A Brill
Book Available at Amazon.com: The Shah: Abbas Milani
Table of Contents:
Chapter One: The Flying Dutchman–February-March 1979 in Morocco
Chapter Two: Compromised Constitution—Iran, 1905-1921
Chapter Three: Peacock Prince– Iran 1921-1931
Chapter Four: Jocund Juvenilia—Mohammad Reza as a Young Boy in Le Rosey
Chapter Five: Iran on the Eve of the Second World War
Chapter Six: The Crown of Throne: 1941-1942—the Shah’s Early Days on the Throne; HurlyReport; America’s First Democratization Effort
Chapter Seven:; Tehran conference, The Azerbaijan and its Aftermath; The Dawn of the Cold War
Chapter Eight: The Shah and Mossadeq—1951-1953
Chapter Nine: All the Shah’s man: The Coup and its Aftermath
Chapter Ten: Consolidation of power—US and the Creation of Savak; British and American Pressure for Reform
Chapter Eleven: Gharani Affair
Chapter Twelve: Russian Card
Chapter Thirteen: The Dark Side of Camelot: The Shah and the Kennedy Administration
Chapter Fourteen: Garrulous Premiere: Journey to the US; The white Revolution
Chapter Fifteen: Bright Side of Camelot: White Revolution and the US
Chapter Sixteen: The Economic Miracle—1961-1975
Chapter Seventeen: Architecture of Power
Chapter Eighteen: Party Politics
Chapter Nineteen: The Perfect spy: Soviet Espionage in Iran
Chapter Twenty: The Shah’s Last Ride
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