| Contents |
Part I. A Shi'i empire -- Shi'ism and the Safavid Revolution (1501-1588) -- The age of 'Abbas I and the shaping of the Safavid Empire (1588-1666) -- The demise of the Safavid Order and the Unhappy Interregnums (1666-1797) -- Part II. Reshaping of the guarded domains -- The making of the Qajar Era (1797-1852) -- Naser al-Din Shah and maintaining a fragile balance (1848-1896) -- The constitutional revolution: road to a plural modernity (1905-1911) -- Part III. A nation recast -- The Great War and the rise of Reza Khan (1914-1925) -- Reza Shah and the Pahlavi Order (1925-1941) -- Chaotic democracy, oil nationalization, and denied hopes (1941-1953) -- The White Revolution and its opponents (1953-1963) -- Development, disarray, and discontent (1963-1977) -- Cultures of authority and cultures of dissent -- Part IV. A contested revolution and the rise of the Islamic Republic -- The making of the Islamic Revolution (1977-1979) -- The guardian jurist and his advocates -- Consolidation of the Islamic Republic (1979-1984) -- Facing the foe: the hostage crisis, the Iraq-Iran War, and the aftermath (1979-1989) -- Society and culture under the Islamic Republic. |
| Abstract |
A masterfully researched and compelling history of Iran from 1501 to 2009. This history of modern Iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of years. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of Iran against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and the rise of the Islamic Republic. Abbas Amanat combines chronological and thematic approaches, exploring events with lasting implications for modern Iran and the world. Drawing on diverse historical scholarship and emphasizing the twentieth century, he addresses debates about Iran's culture and politics. Political history is the driving narrative force, given impetus by Amanat's decades of research and study. He layers the book with discussions of literature, music, and the arts; ideology and religion; economy and society; and cultural identity and heritage. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 909-944) and index. |
| Genre/form | History. |
| ISBN | 9780300112542 (hardcover ; alkaline paper) |
| ISBN | 0300112548 (hardcover ; alkaline paper) |
