The Struggle for Iran: Oil, Autocracy, and the Cold War, 1951–1954

by David S. Painter, Gregory Brew

Beginning with the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry in spring 1951 and ending with its reversal following the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq in August 1953, the Iranian oil crisis was a crucial turning point in the global Cold War. The nationalization challenged Great Britain's preeminence in the Middle East and threatened Western oil concessions everywhere. Fearing the loss of Iran and possibly the entire Middle East and its oil to communist control, the United States and Great Britain played a key role in the ouster of Mosaddeq, a constitutional nationalist opposed to communism and Western imperialism. U.S. intervention helped entrench monarchical power, and the reversal of Iran's nationalization confirmed the dominance of Western corporations over the resources of the Global South for the next twenty years.

Drawing on years of research in American, British, and Iranian sources, David S. Painter and Gregory Brew provide a concise and accessible account of Cold War competition, Anglo-American imperialism, covert intervention, the political economy of global oil, and Iran's struggle against autocratic government. The Struggle for Iran dispels myths and misconceptions that have hindered understanding this pivotal chapter in the history of the post–World War II world.

Genres: History, Iran, Middle East, Politics, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 2023

About the author

David S. Painter (born 1948) is an emeritus associate professor of international history at Georgetown University. He is a leading scholar of the Cold War and United States foreign policy during the 20th century, with particular emphasis on their relation to oil.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent history of the 1953 Anglo-American coup against Iran’s last democratic leader, Mohammad Mosaddeq. It traces the struggle over Iran’s oil from its nationalization in 1951 to the reversal of nationalization three years later, providing a definitive account of the crisis. The book also cuts through a number of myths about the crisis and the coup, forcefully and convincingly arguing against attempts to downplay the Anglo-American role or minimize the importance of oil to decision-making in Washington and London. The 1953 coup reshaped Iran and the world, and anyone looking to learn more about it can do no better than this essential book.

[ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good research but with bias

This book gives you great insight about the events in Iran around the 1953 coup and the research is pretty extensive.
However, there seems to be an anti-West tone in the authors' analysis. For example, there is no emphasis on why Shah's farman to remove Mosaddeq was legal according to the constitution and why Mosaddeq refused to obey the Shah's order. The author also downplays the fact that towards the end, Mosaddeq was no longer popular, and he abused his power using Britain influence as an excuse to hold an illegal referendum.

Overall it is worth a read.

[Jason S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting new account of the coup against Mousadeq in 1953. Surprising how long the US supported him in fear of a communist uprising and the role played by Britain and world oil companies in bringing the US government around to the need for a coup. Slow and repetitive in spots, but a definitive account of a key Cold War event.

[Kian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book to read. However, certain sections I believed were somewhat repetitive, such as when negotiations were being explained and the repetitive nature of the negotiation where the English would stubbornly repeat the same thing was stubbornly repeated in the book itself. Whereas I feel it could have been skipped or simply mentioned once and moved on.

[pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. A very comprehensive recounting of the 1953 coup d’etat in Iran. I believe it’s the first book written with the totally declassified FRUS files. Very good resource.