Great Britain and Reza Shah: The Plunder of Iran, 1921-1941 (Hardcover)

~ MOHAMMAD GHOLI MAJD (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A completely fresh interpretation of the 1921-1941 Pahlavi period.... Majd has come upon a gold mine of information on this controversial period of Persian history.... The details and freshness of the figures are explosive.... Even more explosive are the land acquisitions materials and the information on the work of the Shah's secret police." - Hafez Farmayan, University of Texas at Austin

Product Description

Using recently declassified U.S. State Department archives, Mohammad Gholi Majd describes the rampant tyranny and destruction of Iran in the decades between the two world wars in a sensational yet thoroughly scholarly study that will rewrite the political and economic history of the country.

The book begins with the British invasion of Iran in April 1918 and ends with the Anglo-Russian invasion in August 1941. Though historians are aware of the events that ensued, until now they have had no written evidence of the dreadful magnitude of the activities. Majd documents how the British brought to power an obscure and semi-illiterate military officer, Reza Khan, who was made shah in 1925.

Thereafter, Majd shows, Iran was subjected to a level of brutality not seen for centuries. He also documents the financial plunder of the country during the period: records show that Reza Shah looted the bulk of Iran's oil revenues on the pretext of buying arms, amassing at least $100 million in his London bank accounts and huge sums in New York and Switzerland. Not even Iran's ancient crown jewels were spared.

In contrast to incomplete and unreliable British records for the period, the recently declassified archives and bank records that Majd uses encompass a wide range of political, social, military, and economic matters. A work with immense implications, this book will correct the myth in Iranian history that the period 1921-41 was one of unqualified progress and reform.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; 1st edition (September 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813021111
• ISBN-13: 978-0813021119
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,773,389 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Pahlavi Family, a disaster for IRAN, September 21, 2008

By	Morteza Shamsnia "IRAN/USA" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I hope all Iranians and anybody interseted in roots of current problems in the middle east,and British's destructive role in the region will have a chance to read this book.