Qajar Iran and the Rise of Reza Khan 1796-1925 [Paperback]

Nikki R. Keddie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2012

The history of Iran is a subject attracting increasing interest, and in it the history of the Qajar period, here dated 1796-1925, occupies a pivotal transitional place. The Qajar rulers reunited Iran after a century of weakness and division, and helped create modern Iran and its response to western power. Although the Qajars were not great reformers, their period saw the development of many new trends of thought, ranging from new religious ideas and groups to the adapting of modern ideas to Iranian circumstances. This book covers intellectual trends and equally it covers the political and socioeconomic history of Iran, including the growth of western incursions and control, which led to social, economic, and political disruptions and helped lead to a major revolution that gave Iran a modern constitution. Later developments culminated in a modernizing central government under the Pahlavi shahs. The period 1796-1925 saw a flowering of Iran's visual arts, politically oriented literature, popular culture, and crafts and carpets, and the beginnings of photography and film. The book interprets all these developments as part of a readable and comprehensible history of a period that helped bring Iran into the modern world while continuing its cultural greatness.

Product Details

• Paperback: 134 pages
• Publisher: Mazda Pub (January 11, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568590849
• ISBN-13: 978-1568590844
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #944,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent short history of the epoch., July 9, 1999

By 

Fathali Ghahremani "qajar" (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Qajar Iran and the Rise of Reza Khan 1796-1925 (Paperback)

Qajar Iran and the Rise of Reza Khan 1796-1925 Nikkie R. Keddie Mazda Publishers, 1999ISBN:1-56859-084-9

This is a short history of the Iran prior to the advent of the Pahlavis. It is a concise historical review of the cultural and political environment of the Qajar period. It is primarily about the Qajars and has very little background on Reza Khan or his actual rise; but rather, discusses the socio-political environment that allowed him to take over the reins of power.

The one area that the book treats very lightly is the economic conditions of Qajar Iran, specifically in the second half of Nasser-din Shah's reign which is critical in determining the ability of that government to withstand the onslaught of European politics. Also, the book fails to cover the influence of Western economics on early 20th century Iran. The ability of the English Government to buy and bribe government officials is briefly mentioned but the reasons for the impoverishment of the Iranian government that allowed this to happen is not as fully addressed. Furthermore, nothing is mentioned of the surrogate of the British Empire in Iran, i.e., the Anglo-Persian Oil Company which, in fact, was in a position to make major payoffs and carry out the policies of the British without directly involving the British Government. (The British government owned 51% of this company, since the Admiralty had changed the British Navy from coal to oil burning.) A brief chapter on this matter would have enhanced the value of this book.

All in all this is a must reading for anyone who is interested in contemporary Iranian History. It is short, to the point, detailed and above all extremely well written.