This is a study of modern Iranian political history and is set in the international context of the Second World War and its aftermath. The book covers the essential background in Iranian political history in the 20th century including the role played by Azerbaijani politicians in the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-6, the drastic reforms of the autocratic Reza Shah regime and its effect on ethnic identity in Iranian Azerbaijan, the abdication of the Shah, the role of the Allied Powers, and the occupations of Iran. The book draws on Turkish, Persian, and Azeri sources as well as British, French, American, and Soviet materials and interviews with surviving members of the period of autonomous government in Iranian Azerbaijan.
