The Shah

The definitive, "splendidly detailed" biography of the last Shah of Iran, tracing his dramatic rise, dictatorial rule, and fall from power in 1979 (Chicago Tribune).

Though his monarchy was toppled in 1979 and he died in 1980, the life of Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, continues to resonate today. Here, internationally respected author Abbas Milani gives us the definitive biography, more than ten years in the making, of the monarch whose long rule shaped Iran's modern age and with it the contemporary politics of the Middle East.


The Shah's life was filled with contradiction—as a social reformer he built schools, increased equality for women, and greatly reduced the influence of the Shia clergy. He made Iran a global power, courting Western leaders from Churchill to Carter, 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 US and Iran to where they are today.


"Milani brings to us a whole new set of facts, culled from thousands of recently declassified British, American and Iranian documents and hundreds of interviews." —San Francisco Chronicle

"A finely wrought, enlightening biography." —The Wall Street Journal