Majestic Failure: The Fall of the Shah - Hardcover

Zonis, Marvin

  • 3.93 out of 5 stars
    44 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780226989280: Majestic Failure: The Fall of the Shah
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0226989283 ISBN 13: 9780226989280
Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1991

Reviews

In this intriguing psychoanalytic study, the author suggests that the Shah of Iran (1919-1980) maintained his fragile equilibrium through four "psychic twinships," or relationships: with his sister, Princess Ashraf; with Ernest Perron, a friend from Swiss school days; with Assadollah Alam, his last minister of court; and finally, with the United States government. As these relationships disintegrated during the 1970s, Zonis avers, the Shah's core character traits (passivity and dependence) became dominant, rendering him incapable of coping with the challenges of the Iranian Revolution. Applying psychoanalytic techniques, Zonis, professor in the the University of Chicago's psychology department and business school, and an acquaintance of the late ruler, examines the Shah's lifelong fear of his father, his bristling disdain for women, his narcissism and grandiosity. Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The pursuit of historical analysis using psychological models and methodologies (i.e., "psychohistory") is often tempting and sometimes productive as seen in this psychological portrait of the Shah of Iran. Offering the premise that the Shah lost his throne by his own efforts or lack thereof, Zonis addresses four basic elements of the Shah's psychological character (belief in divine protection, identification with other powerful people, sharing the strength of others, belief in the adoration of the Iranian people) and documents his deterioration that began with the discovery of his cancer. Ending his book with a consideration of what the United States can learn from its role in the Shah's fall, Zonis offers some recommendations for American policymakers. The last decent psychological analysis of the Shah was Ryszard Kapuscinski's Shah of Shahs ( LJ 3/15/85); Majestic Failure is "better" only because of its dispassionate tone and objectivity. However, Zonis's book is not for the casual reader. Recommended for large, subject-area collections.
- David P. Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Publication date
1991
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0226989283
ISBN 13 
9780226989280
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
360
Rating
  • 3.93 out of 5 stars
    44 ratings by Goodreads