The Shah

Abbas Milani

Jan 2011 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

The definitive biography of the last Shah of Iran, tracing his dramatic rise and fall and his role in the creation of the contemporary Islamic Republic.

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, internationally respected 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 politically moderate 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.

Ratings and reviews

Milani is of those who are a part of Irans problem. He was a Maoist. He hates the shah. I do not know why these communists have moved to AngloAmerican states! Cuba and Venezuela are better options. Shah was a great man and the whole Iranian nation misses him now.

Great, but I wish America had better relations with Iran like they did in the 1970s before the 1989 Iranian Hostile crisis. Iran and America have to get along again. Iran just wants to be her Islamic self.

این کتاب بطور کاملأ بیطرفانه حکومت پهلوی بویژه دوران محمد رضا شاه و ریشه های شکل گیری انقلاب اسلامی را تشریح میکند،قضاوتی منصفانه و بدور از هر گونه تعصب و جهت گیری .این نوع نگرش علمی و بیطرفانه در سرزمین ایران متاعی است نایاب.بجاست که همه ایرانیان این کناب اررشمند را بخوانند،باشد که از تکرار اشتباهات فجیع در آینده اجتناب شود و حافظه ضعیف تاریخی ما ایرانیان به مدد این کتاب ارزشمند تقویت گردد.

About the author

Abbas Milani is a historian and author. He is the Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University and co-director of the Iran Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution. Milani has written for publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes and has appeared on CNN, the BBC, and NPR, among others. A member of the board of directors of the Iranian Studies Group at MIT, the San Francisco Chronicle has said that "Milani has the ear of Washington insiders." He lives in California.