The Persian Revolution of 1905-1909 (Persia Observed, 1) (Hardcover)

~ Edward G. Browne (Author), Abbas Amanat (Author, Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A large amount of information which is of the upmost value..." -- The London Times

"Browne labours to show that the Persian Revolution was no mere isolated phenomenon, but one form of a movement which is affecting Islam." -- Manchester Guardian

"In this account of Iran's Constitutional Revolution, British Orientalist Edward G. Browne portrays Persia as a nation oppressed by its leadership and foreign interests, struggling to establish a constitutional government. In the introduction to this reprint of the 1910 edition, Abbas Amanat writes that Browne's description is unique in that, amidst a time of imperialism and orientalism, it speaks sypathetically of a nation's aspirations to shape its own political system." -- Middle East Journal

"No history of events in Persia between the years 1905 and 1909 is ever likely to compete with this." -- The Spectator

"There can be no doubt of the permanent value of the book..." -- New York Times

Product Description

"Many dangers and many anxious days lie without doubt before the new Persia."

More than eight decades later, Edward Browne's fears and hopes have a special resonance in the minds of contemporary readers. The Persian Revolution of 1905-1909, an account of one episode in Iran's eventful annals, has maintained its relevance and freshness, even after the occurrence of a revolution more intense and all-embracing than the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-11. When the aspirations of the Constitutional period are contrasted with those of the more recent revolution, the irony is poignant and inescapable, especially when it is noted that the occurrence of the second revolution was a distant protest against the failure of the first.

What Browne primarily intended to achieve in his book was to allow the voice of the Persian people to be heard by his Western audience. He tried to demonstrate to his readers that the tumultuous events they were witnessing in Iran, often with suspicion if not disdain, were in fact no less than a genuine struggle by an oppressed and impoverished nation to establish a constitutional order despite the overwhelming odds of domestic tyranny, foreign intervention, and ideological divisions. The Persian Revolution was more than a simple record of a revolution, for it influenced the very course of events it covered in its pages.

An essential volume for anyone attempting to understand Persia's past and present, this new edition features an introduction by Abbas Amanat, Browne's correspondences, and contemporary reviews of the book, all of which provide a rich context for The Persian Revolution of 1905-1909. Also included are 56 period photographs.

Note: This book was originally published in 1910 by Cambridge University Press.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 470 pages
• Publisher: Mage Publishers; illustrated edition edition (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934211450
• ISBN-13: 978-0934211451
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,551,870 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compulsory Reading for Students of Iran, September 24, 2000

By	Roham Alvandi (Mosman, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

Edward G. Browne, the most famous British scholar of Iranian studies, for whom a street adjacent to Tehran University is named, has made an enormous contribution to Iranian studies in this and his other works. Professor Brown, whose other works span Iranian literature, culture, sociology and history, was a great friend to those who sought to advance the cause of liberalism and the rule of law in Iran.

This work is particularly valuable, as it is the only first-hand English language study of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. It is particularly valuable for those readers unable to access works in Farsi, such as Ahmad Kasravi's seminal work on the Constitutional Revolution.

In this work, Brown vividly portrays the machinations of the British, Russian, and Iranian players in the constitutional revolution. One can sense the joy and agony in Browne's work as he describes the initial victory of the constitutionalists, and their eventual defeat at the hands of foreign agents and Iranian traitors.

Amanat's introduction is also valuable for the historical and biographical context it provides. Amanat, a scholar at Yale, has established his position as one the most prominent authors of Iranian history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Those who enjoy this work, may care to also consider Shuster's work "The Strangling of Persia", also in the Persia observed series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, clear and factual, June 28, 2000

By A Customer

This book attempts to reconstruct the events and upheavels during the persian constitutional revolution. The author shows an intimate knowledge of his subject, having spent time in Iran previously. Amanat does a magnificant job in introducing the unknown part of Iranian politics, with accurate observations and conclusions.

5.0 out of 5 stars In the name of Iran, February 12, 2007

By	Peyman ADLDOUSTI (England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Persian Revolution of 1905-1909 (Paperback)

The author of this book is Edward Granville Browne, who recorded his first account of Constitutional Revolution in Iran, plus he provided researched account on Constitutional Revolution in Iran. Interestingly, he discussed how UK and Russia divided Iran in two spheres and causing unrest in Iran. Thus, Iran did not have an opportunity to have political maturity.