{"product_id":"the-shahs-party-and-the-iranian-revolution-that-followed-by-robert-templar","title":"The Shah's Party: And the Iranian Revolution That Followed by Robert Templar","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"A masterful account of how a regime celebrated itself into oblivion. Richly researched, beautifully paced and quietly unsettling.\" -- Thant Myint-U, author of \u003cem\u003ePeacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\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.\" -- Gareth Evans, former Australian foreign minister and International Crisis Group president\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Beautifully written and insightful, \u003cem\u003eThe Shah's Party\u003c\/em\u003e presents 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.\" -- Mehran Kamrava, Professor of Government, Georgetown University in Qatar, and author of \u003cem\u003eTriumph and Despair: In Search of Iran's Islamic Republic\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Readers will enjoy the challenges and paradoxes that [Templer] throws at them in this fast-paced and readable work.\" -- \u003cem\u003eAsian Review of Books\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\" \u003cem\u003eIn the 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.\" -- Michael Shaikh, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Last Sweet Bite\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\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.\" -- Candace Rondeaux, author of utin's Sledgehammer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Shah's Party colorfully 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\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\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\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\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\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRobert Templer\u003c\/strong\u003e 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 \u003cem\u003eShadows and Wind: A View of Modern Vietnam\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eA Basilisk Glance: Poisoners from Plato to Putin\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaperback\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2026\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hurst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51865803325725,"sku":"9781805265696","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0511\/5897\/files\/Screenshot2026-06-11at3.48.56pm.png?v=1781207356","url":"https:\/\/www.middleeastbooks.com\/products\/the-shahs-party-and-the-iranian-revolution-that-followed-by-robert-templar","provider":"Middle East Books and More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}