Majestic Failure: The Fall of the Shah [Hardcover]

Marvin Zonis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this intriguing psychoanalytic study, the author suggests that the Shah of Iran (1919-1980) maintained his fragile equilibrium through four "psychic twinships," or relationships: with his sister, Princess Ashraf; with Ernest Perron, a friend from Swiss school days; with Assadollah Alam, his last minister of court; and finally, with the United States government. As these relationships disintegrated during the 1970s, Zonis avers, the Shah's core character traits (passivity and dependence) became dominant, rendering him incapable of coping with the challenges of the Iranian Revolution. Applying psychoanalytic techniques, Zonis, professor in the the University of Chicago's psychology department and business school, and an acquaintance of the late ruler, examines the Shah's lifelong fear of his father, his bristling disdain for women, his narcissism and grandiosity. Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The pursuit of historical analysis using psychological models and methodologies (i.e., "psychohistory") is often tempting and sometimes productive as seen in this psychological portrait of the Shah of Iran. Offering the premise that the Shah lost his throne by his own efforts or lack thereof, Zonis addresses four basic elements of the Shah's psychological character (belief in divine protection, identification with other powerful people, sharing the strength of others, belief in the adoration of the Iranian people) and documents his deterioration that began with the discovery of his cancer. Ending his book with a consideration of what the United States can learn from its role in the Shah's fall, Zonis offers some recommendations for American policymakers. The last decent psychological analysis of the Shah was Ryszard Kapuscinski's Shah of Shahs ( LJ 3/15/85); Majestic Failure is "better" only because of its dispassionate tone and objectivity. However, Zonis's book is not for the casual reader. Recommended for large, subject-area collections.
- David P. Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (June 25, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226989283
• ISBN-13: 978-0226989280
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #914,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars ONE AMERICAN'S VIEW OF THE SHAH, March 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Majestic Failure: The Fall of the Shah (Hardcover)

The author of this book is an American academic who visited Iran in the 1970s and wrote an interesting research paper on the political elite under the Shah.
In " Majestic Failure: The Fall of the Shah", Zonis revises and expands some of his conclusions in that earlier research.
Zonis seems to believe that the Shah's fall was almost solely his own fault , and not a result, at least in part, of the activities of the mighty coalition of forces ranged against his regime- from the Soviet bloc to radical mullahs to European and American leftists.
Thus the entire book is structured in a way to show the Shah's regime as one programmed to end in disaster. It is as if , writing about a man who has been killed in a car crash, we blame him for having been unkind to his mother-in-law or having spent too much time on a golf course.
A more balanced account of the Shah's eventual fall can be found in William Shawcross's " The Shah's Last Ride: The Betrayal of An Ally" which shows the callous way in which successive American administrations dealt with Iran and its leader.
A more accessible, and ultimately more informative, account of the Shah's turbulent reign is offered in Amir Taheri's " The Unknown Life of the Shah".
For an understanding of the Shah's foreign policy go to James Alban Bill's " The Eagle and the Lion".
As far as this reveiwer is concerned there is still room for several more books on the Shah. A READER IN HAMPSTEAD

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful psychoanalytical and political analysis of Shah, December 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Majestic Failure: The Fall of the Shah (Hardcover)

An absolutely fabulous book combining both psychoanalytical and political perspectives. Written in lively prose, Zonis looks at the rise and fall of a larger than life man, offering a fair and balanced look at his strengths and weaknesses.