The Shah [Paperback]

Though his monarchy was toppled in 1979 and he died in 1980, Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlevi, the last Shah of Iran, remains relevant today. He was a social reformer, a romantic egomaniac, and a deeply conflicted man and leader. 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 contradictionhe built schools, increased equality for women, and greatly reduced the power of the Shia clergy. He made Iran a global power 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 United States and Iran to where they are today.

Chapter One: The Flying Dutchman--February-March 1979 in Morocco

Chapter Two: Compromised ConstitutionIran, 1905-1921

Chapter Three: Peacock Prince-- Iran 1921-1931

Chapter Four: Jocund JuveniliaMohammad 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: 1941-1942the Shah's Early Days on the Throne; Hurly Report; 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 Mossadeq1951-1953

Chapter Nine: All the Shah's man: The Coup and its Aftermath

Chapter Ten: Consolidation of powerUS and the Creation of Savak; British and American Pressure for Reform

Chapter Eleven: Gharani Affair

Chapter Twelve: Russian Card

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