summary of The Last Shah: America, Iran, and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty by Ray Takeyh:

Ray Takeyh’s The Last Shah: America, Iran, and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty provides a detailed and revisionist account of the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, tracing his rise to power during World War II, his ambitious modernization efforts, his close but complicated relationship with the United States, and ultimately his downfall during the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Takeyh challenges simplistic portrayals of the Shah as either a heroic modernizer or a corrupt despot, instead presenting a nuanced picture of a ruler who sought to rapidly transform Iran into a modern, Western-style nation while relying heavily on authoritarian power, oil wealth, and U.S. support. The book explores the Shah’s ambitious land reforms, industrialization projects, expansion of education, and social changes under the White Revolution, but also highlights the unintended consequences: widening inequality, alienation of the clergy, suppression of political dissent, and a growing legitimacy crisis. A central theme is the Shah’s complex ties with America—how Washington’s Cold War priorities and reliance on Iran as a regional ally often blinded U.S. policymakers to the regime’s fragility and the depth of domestic discontent. Takeyh also underscores the Shah’s miscalculations: his overconfidence in modernization, underestimation of the Islamic opposition, and inability to create durable political institutions that could balance his centralized power. By situating the Shah’s fall within both Iranian history and global Cold War politics, Takeyh shows how his regime’s collapse was not inevitable but the result of compounded missteps, structural tensions, and the failure to bridge tradition with modernity. Ultimately, the book portrays the last Shah as a tragic figure—brilliant yet flawed, ambitious yet insecure—whose efforts to remake Iran left a profound but deeply contested legacy that continues to shape Iranian politics and U.S.–Iran relations today.