List of maps -- List of illustrations -- List of tables and figures -- Chronology -- Glossary -- A political who's who of modern Iran -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1. 'Royal despots' : state and society under the Qajars -- 2. Reform, revolution, and the Great War -- 3. The iron fist of Reza Shah -- 4. The nationalist interregnum -- 5. Muhammad Reza Shah's White Revolution -- 6. The Islamic Republic -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Further reading -- Index.