**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,
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 contradiction--he 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.
