From Qajar to Pahlavi

Mohammad Gholi Majd holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University. He is the author of The Great Famine and Genocide in Persia, 1917-1919 and Iraq in World War I, both from University Press of America.

In his recent book, Majd undertakes the task of retelling the fundamental political changes in Iran during the 1920s, beginning with the Anglo-Persian Convention in 1919 and ending with Re?a Šah’s 'expanded reign of terror'. The slightly larger first part of the book (chapters two to ten) recounts the events leading to the overthrow of the Qajar monarchy and the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty. The last five chapters focus on the consolidation of Re?a Šah’s rule and its increasingly dictatorial character, evident e.g. in his attacks on the Shi‘i clergy and the tribal population. The book follows Majd’s previous publications in strongly emphasizing British influence on the events in Persia and making extensive use of American archival material . . . [H]e fills the pages with long quotations from records of the US State Department. . . .[T]he author makes a valuable source accessible through his extensive verbatim citations. Since the cited correspondence often goes beyond a mere account of events, it also sheds light on social and cultural changes during the early Pahlavi period. Furthermore, the almost exclusively chronological order of the documents allows the reader to closely follow the course of events which were reported in a very detailed way from the perspective of diplomats representing American interests in the region. And finally, the appendant index is a helpful tool to directly consult the material for specific aspects.

• Chapter 1 Introduction and OverviewChapter 2 The Anglo-Persian ConventionChapter 3 Resignation and Flight of Vossough-ed DowlehChapter 4 Prelude to Coup d'Etat: cabinets of Moshir-ed-Dowleh and SepahdarChapter 5 Coup d'Etat and Onset of Military DictatorshipChapter 6 Kaleidoscopic Ministries and the Strengthening of Dictatorship, 1921-1923Chapter 7 The "Republican Movement" and the Imbrie MurderChapter 8 The "Liberation" of ArabistanChapter 9 The Regency AffairChapter 10 Abolition of Qajar Monarchy and the Advent of Reza Shah PahlaviChapter 11 A Shaky Throne: Corruption, Mutiny, Rebellion and Assassination PlotChapter 12 An Oppressive Dictatorship, 1926-1928: Rising Unpopularity of Reza ShahChapter 13 Waging War on the Shia ClergyChapter 14 Waging War on the TribesChapter 15 An Expanded Reign of TerrorPart 16 Index