Rise and Fall of the Shah

by Amin Saikal

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 Based on government documents, published and unpublished literature, and interviews with officials in Iran, Britain, and the United States, The Rise and Fall of the Shah critically reviews the domestic and foreign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.

Genres: Iran, History, Politics, Middle East

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Amin Saikal is Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Public Policy Fellow, and Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (the Middle East and Central Asia) at the Australian National University. He is the author of The Rise and Fall of the Shah (Princeton) and Modern Afghanistan. He lives in Canberra.

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything the Shah Did Wrong Because He Never Did Anything Right 101, written while he was in power, but published while he was in exile. For all its hostility, it makes the occassional insightful point : "the regime had traded control over its oil industry for what it needed to establish its rule."

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

dull stuff. The other book by Forbis is better.

[Nicolette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering the time period in which it was written (this was published in 1980, which means most of his thesis work was probably done in the late 70s, and Saikal even states in the introduction he wrote much of the book before the Shah was even removed from power), it's a very interesting take on what contemporaries thought of Iran as a power (or really, lack thereof). Of course, it turned into a shitshow, but that all happened after publication.

Most of his analysis came in the last ten pages or so, so if I hadn't read it, most of the book would have just struck me as a history of the Shah's reign. Informative, but not much in the way of analysis (again, until the very end).

[Judith Smulders · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much baloney in this book it's baffling. No mention of corruption and foreign aid by the Islamic government under Ahmadinejad as a source of financial problems in Iran, ludicrous claims about Khomeini heading the revolution whilst in France and stating that Jimmy Carter backed the Shah (he financed Khomeini with 100 million dollar). So many lies in one book and published by Princeton press. This book will only appeal to the ignorant who haven't read anything about Iranian history, CIA files or current news covering on Iran.

[ZezagPolla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just wanted to know more about him, good book