{"product_id":"the-shah-aos-party-and-the-iranian-revolution-that-followed-9781805265696","title":"The Shah’s Party: And the Iranian Revolution That Followed","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1971, the Shah of Iran threw what was declared the Party of the Century. Before it was over, it had been written off as a disaster and helped to precipitate his downfall.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn 1971, the Shah of Iran threw what was declared the Party of the Century. Before it was over, it had been written off as a disaster and helped to precipitate his downfall.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Shah's Party \u003c\/i\u003ecolourfully captures Iran's oil-rich boom years. In 1971, eight years before the dynasty fell, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his glamorous wife, Farah Diba, hosted one of the largest gatherings of world leaders ever, celebrating the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian monarchy. But this stranger-than-fiction event, staged in a tented city by the ancient ruins of Persepolis, came amidst a rise in leftist agitation and a turn towards political Islam.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRuhollah Khomeini, an exiled mullah, began a relentless campaign against the Shah. A skilled populist, Khomeini tapped into growing inequalities and resentments to push his theocratic vision, particularly among those who had left the countryside in search of work. The Shah's autocratic style played poorly in a world increasingly concerned with human rights.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Persepolis party became a symbol of Iran's regime, allowing the Shah's critics to portray him as repressive and out of touch with the struggles of ordinary people. Khomeini's novel religious populism and his mastery of messaging steamrollered the Shah; he left it too late to move towards democracy, losing the support of his army, his people and his allies. In 1971, trickles of dissent started to build into a revolutionary torrent that, within a decade, would end the dynasty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781805265696\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 392\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 01 Jul 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: C Hurst \u0026amp; Co Publishers Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 21.6(H)x13.8(L)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eRobert Templer is a writer and former professor at the Central European University, where he also founded a research centre on post-conflict recovery. From 2011-2012, he was director of the Asia Programme at the International Crisis Group and has visited Iran on many occasions. He is the author of four books including the acclaimed Shadows and Wind: A View of Modern Vietnam and A Basilisk Glance: Poisoners from Plato to Putin.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e‘Written in an accessible and engaging style, the book uses the event to highlight the ambition and detachment of the late Pahlavi order […] One reason the book feels timely is that it also helps explain why nostalgia for the Pahlavi era remains powerful.' * \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Readers will enjoy the challenges and paradoxes that [Templer] throws at them in this fast-paced and readable work.’ \u003c\/p\u003e * \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAsian Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A masterful account of how a regime celebrated itself into oblivion. Richly researched, beautifully paced and quietly unsettling.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- \u003cb\u003eThant Myint-U, author of \u003ci\u003ePeacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A kaleidoscopic tour de force—comprehensive in scope, meticulously researched and vividly written. More than just a fascinating slice of history, \u003cem\u003eThe Shah’s Party\u003c\/em\u003e is an indispensable guide to understanding the complexity of contemporary Iran.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- \u003cb\u003eGareth Evans, former Australian foreign minister and International Crisis Group president\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Beautifully written and insightful, \u003cem\u003eThe Shah’s Party \u003c\/em\u003epresents a vivid look into the Iranian monarchy’s last hurrah, celebrations that were at once opulent and disastrous. By placing the Shah’s celebration in national, international and historical contexts, Templer chronicles the monarchy’s steady atrophy and its impending collapse. A book of tremendous value, a terrific read.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- \u003cb\u003eMehran Kamrava, Professor of Government, Georgetown University in Qatar, and author of \u003ci\u003eTriumph and Despair: In Search of Iran's Islamic Republic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eThe Shah’s Party\u003c\/em\u003e is a strikingly original and beautifully written account of Iran in the 1970s. It is an exclusive invitation into the lives of people who shaped its politics and culture in ways that are often overlooked, yet remain profoundly relevant today. To read this book is to see the past anew.’\u003c\/p\u003e * \u003cb\u003eMichael Shaikh, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Last Sweet Bite\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eIn the Shah’s Party\u003c\/em\u003e, Robert Templer reconstructs the twilight of the Pahlavi era with cinematic clarity. Through the despots, dilettantes and deal makers who converged on Persepolis, he captures a monarchy staging its last and grandest performance even as revolution gathered beyond the floodlights. A gripping history of debauched power, spectacle and political miscalculation. Templer turns a legendary celebration into a timely lens on the waning authority of monarchy and fervent forces that would reshape Iran and the wider world.’\u003c\/p\u003e * \u003cb\u003e Candace Rondeaux, author of \u003ci\u003ePutin’s Sledgehammer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e *","brand":"Robert Templer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48880257958105,"sku":"9781805265696","price":39.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781805265696_1491aecb-beec-436c-8ae2-bd5f99eaee32.jpg?v=1783000226","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/the-shah-aos-party-and-the-iranian-revolution-that-followed-9781805265696","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}