Iran

Ali M. Ansari

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English

Polity Press
05 March 2024

History; Politics & government

Series: Polity Histories

Both revolutionary and reactionary, the Islamic Republic of Iran has long been a conundrum for Western observers. A theocracy that aspires to a popular mandate; an anti-colonial state with imperial pretensions of its own: modern Iran is in many ways a reflection of its struggle to reconcile its traditions with the challenges of modernity.

In this book, Ali Ansari takes readers on a journey through Iran’s turbulent history. Beginning with the country’s fall from grace as a Great Power in the nineteenth century, he explores its repeated attempts to modernize in a series of revolutionary movements from the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the civil unrest that is breaking out today. In so doing, he reveals how the experience of history and Iran’s encounter with ‘modernity’ have come to define it – and set it on an authoritarian path in confrontation with the West and, often, its own people.

By: Ali M. Ansari
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 173mm, Width: 114mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 181g
ISBN: 9781509541515
ISBN 10: 1509541519
Series: Polity Histories
Pages: 160
Publication Date: 05 March 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Map Acknowledgements Introduction: A revolutionary land 1. A Constitutional Revolution (1905-1914) 2. The rise and rule of Reza Shah (1914-1940) 3. Oil and Nationalism (1941-1953) 4. The ‘White’ Revolution (1954-1977) 5. Revolution and War (1978-1988) 6. Building an Islamic Republic (1989-2000) 7. Crisis of authority (2001-2009) 8. Paranoid Sate (2010—) Further Reading Notes Index

Ali Ansari is Professor of Iranian History and Founding Director for the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews. He is a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2016. A regular contributor to the international media on political developments in Iran, he has also published widely on Iranian history.

Reviews for Iran

"""Without simplifying or sensationalizing, this book captures the twists and turns of the last two centuries of Iranian history. It is a perfect introduction for anyone wishing to venture beyond the headlines to understand Iran."" Houchang E. Chehabi, Boston University ""An illuminating and erudite history of modern and contemporary Iran. Ansari's original and insightful approach reminds us of the ruptures and continuities that continue to shape Iranian politics today."" Ramin Jahanbegloo, Jindal Global University ""Few countries are so misunderstood as Iran – and in this brilliantly clever and pithy study, Ali Ansari digs beneath the myths to give us a magisterial overview of its modern history."" Dominic Sandbrook"