The Rise and Fall of the Shah

Iran from Autocracy to Religious Rule

Amin Saikal

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780691140407, 9780691031187
• eBook ISBN: 9781400833078
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Middle Eastern History
• Index: History

On November 4, 1979, when students occupied the American Embassy in Tehran and subsequently demanded that the United States return the Shah in exchange for hostages, the deposed Iranian ruler's regime became the focus of worldwide scrutiny and controversy. But, as Amin Saikal shows, this was far from the beginning of Iran's troubles.

Saikal examines the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, especially from 1953 to 1979, in the context of his regime's dependence on the United States and his dreams of transforming Iran into a world power. Saikal argues that, despite the Shah's early achievements, his goals and policies were full of inherent contradictions and weaknesses and ultimately failed to achieve their objectives. Based on government documents, published and unpublished literature, and interviews with officials in Iran, Britain, and the United States, The Rise and Fall of the Shah critically reviews the domestic and foreign policy objectives--as well as the behavior--of the Shah to explain not only what happened, but how and why.

In a new introduction, Saikal reflects on what has happened in Iran since the fall of the Shah and relates Iran's past to its political present and future.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• List of Maps
• Preface
• Introduction to the Paperback Edition
• Introduction
• Part One · The Shah and Iran: Between Dependence and Oil Power
• Part Two · The Emergence of Iran as a Regional Power
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index