Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup

Jul 6, 2026

Patriot of Persia by Christopher de Bellaigue examines Muhammad Mossadegh’s rise and the political forces that culminated in a tragic Anglo-American coup. The text frames Mossadegh as both a public symbol of Iran and a controversial figure, rooted in personal character as much as governance. Through historical recollection, including anecdotes from Mossadegh’s final years under house arrest, the narrative highlights how loyalties, reputation, and foreign intervention shaped a nation’s fate.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages346

Reading Time8 h 53 min

Prologue

Father of the Nation

Chapter 1

The Unchanging East

Chapter 2

A Silver Spoon

Chapter 3

Fokoli

Chapter 4

Razing Caesarea

Chapter 5

Eclipse of the Qajars

Chapter 6

Isolation

Chapter 7

The Tragedy of Khadijeh

Chapter 8

The Prize

Chapter 9

Victory or Death

Chapter 10

Mossadeghism

PATRIOT OF PERSIA Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup CHRISTOPHER DE BELLAIGUE Epigraph Author ’s note Persia is the old European name for Iran. Iran is an even older, indigenous name. In the 1930s Reza Shah told foreigners to stop using the name Persia, but some ignored him. Later on his son Muhammad-Reza Shah revoked the ban. It is now customary for Iranians and foreigners alike to refer to the country as Iran, although some Iranians living outside the country introduce themselves as Persian. I use both terms interchangeably. Contents Cover Title Page Epigraph Author ’s note Acknowledgments Prologue-Father of the Nation Chapter 1-The Unchanging East Chapter 2-A Silver Spoon Chapter 3-Fokoli Chapter 4-Razing Caesarea Chapter 5-Eclipse of the Qajars Chapter 6-Isolation Chapter 7-The Tragedy ofKhadijeh Chapter 8-The Prize Chapter 9-Victory or Death Chapter 10-Mossadeghism Chapter 11-Winning America Chapter 12-Riding Satan ’s Donkey Chapter 13-A Coup of his Own Chapter 14-Mussy Duck Shoot Chapter 15-Unperson Epilogue-A Movement in Men ’s Minds Notes Bibliography Illustrations Index Photo Insert About the Author Also by Christopher de Bellaigue Credits Copyright About the Publisher Acknowledgements It would not have occurred to me to write this book without the experience of living and working in Iran, an inspiration, in different ways, for so much that I write. To several scholars of Iran, most notably the late Iraj Afshar, Kaveh Bayat, Ali Dehbashi, Mansoureh Ettehadieh, John Gurney, Homa Katouzian, Paul Luft, Abbas Milani, Mustafa Nouri, Kamal Parsi-Pour, Morteza Rassoolipour, Yann Richard and Kamran Safamanesh, I am grateful for inspiration and practical help, while others, including my parents-in-law Abtin Ghezelayagh and Manijeh Amini, MuhammadHossein Zeynali and Mahmoud Emami-Naini, were also forthcoming with encouragement and support. I enjoyed important institutional backing. In 2007–2008 I was the beneficiary of the fellowship that was endowed by that fine historian, Sir Alistair Horne, at St Antony’s College, Oxford, where I also received much kindness from Margaret Macmillan, Avi Shlaim and Timothy Garton-Ash. The British Academy gave me a generous grant. I used superb resources: in Tehran, the Institute for Iranian Contemporary Historical Studies (where Iam particularly grateful to Akbar Mashouf, Ahmad Fazeli and Ghollamreza Sharifi-Ashtiyani) and the Library of the Majles, and, in Britain, the library of the Middle East Institute at St Antony’s, the British Library, the National Archives, the library of the School of Oriental and African Studies and, most pleasurably, the London Library. From the Mossadegh family, Hedayat Matine-Daftary and Majid Bayat gave generously of their time – to recall, advise and, not infrequently, correct. Farhad Diba was forthcoming with counsel and suggestions. John Gurney, Homa Katouzian and Hedayat Matine-Daftary were kind enough to offer comments on the finished manuscript. My father Eric de Bellaigue, performed his usual task of suggesting stylistic improvements. My agent, Peter Straus, ably assisted by Jenny Hewson, my publishers, Will Sulkin at The Bodley Head and Terry Karten at HarperCollins, Kay Peddle of The Bodley Head, who prepared the book for publication, and Clara Womersley, my publicist, were something of a dream team for a writer. My homeland dream team, Bita, Jahan and Kiana, endured, grew and came out smiling. Prologue Father ofthe Nation I have an Iranian friend who is too young to remember Mossadegh, but her parents were in public life and were close to him. When my friend was a small child and Mossadegh was living out his last years under house arrest, he sent her sweets. Her mother picked the wrappers from the floor, flattened them, and put them somewhere safe. Now my friend is a middle-aged woman with two strapping sons, but she has kept the sweet wrappers. Th

FAQs

这本书聚焦了谁以及什么历史事件？

书中聚焦 Muhammad Mossadegh，并围绕一次带有悲剧色彩的英美政变展开叙述。

作者在文中如何看待 Mossadegh 在伊朗的象征意义？

文中强调 Mossadegh 不仅是政治人物，也是许多同胞眼中的国家象征，甚至被视为“就是伊朗”。

序章中有哪些与 Mossadegh 相关的个人回忆线索？

序章通过作者提到的一位年幼时仍记得 Mossadegh 的朋友的家庭经历，以及 Mossadegh 在晚年被软禁时仍可能以善意被记住的细节来引出叙事。

Jul 6, 2026

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