<The> Shah's imperial celebrations of 1971 nationalism, culture and politics in late Pahlavi Iran

"In October 1971 Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, held a celebration to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great. Dozens of heads of state descended on Persepolis for these Celebrations, where they were regaled to sumptuous banquets and entertainment. Critical journalists in Western Europe and North America lambasted the Shah for holding such a decadent event while many of his people lived in poverty. Due to the overwhelmingly negative press at the time, the event is still today widely remembered as a catastrophic failure. It is even said by many to have sparked the unrest that eventually led to the revolution and the Shah's downfall in 1979. In this first comprehensive academic study of the 2500th Anniversary Celebrations, Robert Steele looks beyond the pomp and splendour to examine the events' origins, the goals the organisers set out to achieve with them and the extent to which these goals were accomplished. The book seeks to place the Celebrations in the context of the Shah's rise, rather than his fall, uncovering the unparalleled international cultural and scholarly operation that was spurred by the Iranian regime for the occasion, exploring the effects the event had on Iran's tourism industry and questioning narratives of the event's cost."-- Provided by publisher "In October 1971 Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, held a celebration to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great. Dozens of heads of state descended on Persepolis for these Celebrations, where they were regaled to sumptuous banquets and entertainment. Critical journalists in Western Europe and North America lambasted the Shah for holding such a decadent event while many of his people lived in poverty. Due to the overwhelmingly negative press at the time, the event is still today widely remembered as a catastrophic failure. It is even said by many to have sparked the unrest that eventually led to the revolution and the Shah's downfall in 1979.In this first comprehensive academic study of the 2500th Anniversary Celebrations, Robert Steele looks beyond the pomp and splendour to examine the events' origins, the goals the organizers set out to achieve with them and the extent to which these goals were accomplished. The book seeks to place the Celebrations in the context of the Shah's rise, rather than his fall, uncovering the unparalleled international cultural and scholarly operation that was spurred by the Iranian regime for the occasion, exploring the effects the event had on Iran's tourism industry and questioning narratives of the event's cost" -- back cover In October 1971 Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah Of Iran, Held A Celebration To Commemorate The 2500th Anniversary Of The Founding Of The Persian Empire By Cyrus The Great. The Event Was Designed As An Elaborate And Magnificent Piece Of Political Theatre And At Centre Stage Was The Shah Himself. He Was Presented To Iran And The World As A Great King, At Once Traditional And Modern; The Heir And Defender Of A 2,500 Year-old Monarchical Tradition And A Modernising Revolutionary. Steele Removes The Celebrations From The Narrative Of The Revolution, Putting Them In The Context Of The Shah's Rise, Rather Than His Fall, And The Book Questions What The Regime Aimed To Achieve By Holding The Event. It Also Examines The Material Gain By Encouraging Foreign Investment And Tourism. The First Serious Study On This Subject, This Book Reveals The Extent Of The Success Or Failure Of The Celebrations In Their Own Historical Context. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Illustrations Note on transliteration Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Ideology and historical background 2 ‘The World’s Centre of Happiness’ 3 International diplomacy at Persepolis 4 The Celebrations and cultural policy 5 International cultural activity 6 Criticizing the Celebrations 7 The cost of the Celebrations Conclusion Notes Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Ideology and historical background 2 ‘The World’s Centre of Happiness’ 3 International diplomacy at Persepolis 4 The Celebrations and cultural policy 5 International cultural activity 6 Criticizing the Celebrations 7 The cost of the Celebrations Conclusion Bibliography Index plates Introduction Chapter 1. Trends in Iranian Nationalism Chapter 2. Development of the Celebrations Chapter 3. World Leaders Take Part in the Celebrations Chapter 4. Culture and the Celebrations Chapter 5. Cultural Politics of Pahlavi Iran Chapter 6. Principal Criticisms of the Celebrations Chapter 7. Benefits to the Economy Conclusion.